Google Search

Google
 

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Thanksgiving for the gift of New Life

Today in America it is the great feast of Thanksgiving. In Europe, and in Austria, its business as usual.

The students even have class so the faculty teach and the staff work. So the real celebration takes place later in the day: Thanksgiving Turkey dinner, formal Austrian Dance, and more.

But as we work and celebrate from afar, our hearts are still uplifted in thanksgiving for the many gifts and blessings of God: the gift of family, friends, the gift of holy mother church, the gift of a work, children, and most of all, the gift of life.

Aptly to this last point, today especially we offer thanksgiving for the gift of new life. This week, Professor and Mrs. Asci welcomed their 6th child into the world, a beautiful little girl with a just as beautiful Italian name: Caterina Lucia Marie Asci. Now the family is evenly matched with 3 boys and three girls.

Mother and baby are doing well and now back at home. So, as a Kartause community, we have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving day, especially the precious gift of a new life.

To send a note to the Asci family, you can reach by e-mail at dasci@franciscan.edu

Baby pictures of Caterina Lucia Marie:


Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Ridin' the Waves of Life in Greece

One of the more popular places to visit in Europe amongst the Franciscan study abroad students is the island of Santorini Greece. Through word of mouth, it has recently grown in popularity. Not only is it a favorite destination because of the Aegean Sea, famous Greek Food, notable night life, and breathtaking sunsets.

It has also grown in popularity because of a less obscure but nonetheless just as attractive leisure activity--that of 4-wheeling around the Island. So, not only do the students ride the waves, but they literally ride all around, enjoying the scenery, food, local people, and natural surroundings.

The price is right and the returns extraordinary. Below is a picture of two of our students speeding away... their faces show their love of life and of God's extraordinary creation.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

The Cross is the Logo of Europe

With all 200 of us just returning from 10 days in Rome and Assisi, our heads are spinning as we cope with the fact that there is only 22 days left in the semester!

But, one of the neat aspects of pilgrimage to Rome is its close connection with the cross of Christ. In this vein, I stumbled across this article in the (Daily newspaper Die Presse, 6.11.09) about the Cross and Europe. It is written by Dr. Martin Kugler, friend of the Kartause Gaming, who has studied history, political sciences and communication. He is director of Kairos consulting agency for non profit projects.

Its a nice read and a good way for us to ease back into the academic setting and rhythm of life:


In 1960 Cardinal Konig of Vienna awoke from a coma after a serious car
accident in former Yugoslavia; he looked at the wall of the hospital room
and saw a picture of Tito. For the young archbishop this experience was
the beginning of an internal process that led him to a special solidarity
with the Christians in communist countries. For us the picture of this
situation can help clear up a misunderstanding with which policies &
politics are made today in Europe. It is the mistaken belief that real
religious freedom is given if a society is free of religion, or - rather
more diplomatically worded: Secularism is the proper way in which the
state expresses its neutrality. This misconception, currently propagated
by a judgment of the ECHR, is based on two false assumptions that, if held
in a prejudice-free and reasonable discussion, could be easily disproved.
First, the talk of the value-neutral state: It is simply naive and the
result of an illusion.

Secondly, the assumption that a public without any presence of religious
life or religious symbols would be more "tolerant" or more appropriate to
freedom of conscience than a "Public Square" which permits or even
encourages statements of religious belief.

The first of the two conditions of our misunderstanding is rather a joke:
value-neutral state? Against fraud and corruption? Against xenophobia and
discrimination? Sins against the environment and sexual harassment in the
workplace? A state that bans neo-Nazis, allows pornography, favors
certain forms of developmental assistance , but others not. . . all due to
neutral values?

Someone is trying to make a fool of us! Goethe already railed against
talking about the nonsense of "liberal ideas". Ideas should possibly be
good or right and our attitude towards people with other ideas should be
liberal. As a historian, I can only interpret this talk of a
value-neutral state thusly: It is a somewhat belated over-reaction of
European intellectuals against the alliance of throne and altar of the
past.

The second assumption one must take seriously, however: The great Jewish
legal scholar, Joseph Weiler, said (given the debate about the reference
to God in the European Constitution): As a member of a religious
minority, he felt better off in a society that respects its religious
symbols, than he would in a secular society, which would deny its roots
and even work zealously against any expression of faith. One might add:
The removal of the cross in a public hospital and the resulting blank
walls are a sign which carry its own symbolism and send signals to dying
patients, who look out for them.

Of course, the atheist parent might feel his or her child being molested by
the cross in the classroom. But this is inevitable. I may also feel
annoyed when upon entering a post office I catch sight of a photograph of
the Austrian Federal President whom I have not voted for. Or if I am on
the way to my daughter's nursery school looking at posters of the
municipality of Vienna co-financed by me. Influence, ideological signals,
visual presences - also sexist – will always exist everywhere. The only
question is how and containing what. The state should intervene only very
moderately. And if it does, not by bans that imprison religion into a
ghetto. The cross is now less than ever a sign of restraint, but one of
identity and cohesion of Europe. So not only Cardinal König was missing it
in the Yugoslavian hospital room. Equally would I and also friends
alienated from the Church miss it: On the mountain peaks of the Swiss
Alps, on the rooftops of the Burgundian churches and the ambulances cars
of the Red Cross. To the Christian, the cross is claim and mystery. But
for Europe it is the most successful and best logo of all times. It should
remain visible.

(Daily newspaper Die Presse, 6.11.09)

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Costume Party Winners

At the Fall Festival Costume Party this semester, two students, Heidi Drury and Chris Franzonello, decided to dress up like Professor Asci (Theology Prof) and his wife Michele who is 9 months due and ready to go at any moment. They took Gold prize in the contest and were certainly "the talk of the campus" for the next 48 hours.



Also, see some of Heidi's study abroad pictures from Rome, Sicily, and Austria below: