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Contents © 2006
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.

LETTERS
September/October 2006

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PEPPERONI AND MELISMAS

[Regarding the Pizza and Chant advertisement for the Latin Novus Ordo Mass], I understand and praise the initiative of reacquainting with Gregorian chant the generations fed on the sappiness of "On Eagle's Wings." I think that common recreation afterwards is a praiseworthy idea, the deign successor of the agape meal of Apostolic time. But slamming together pepperoni and melismas is just tacky. Won't you find anything a little more dignified? Gregorian chant is sacred music after all. Thank you.

In Domino,

Roberto Lionello

MOROSE ATTITUDE

Psychology tells us our ears perk toward the negative. I have noticed over the years that most articles in the San Diego News Notes have been articles mostly about the sins of the church. This can get to the point of causing the readers to have a morose attitude about our Catholic church here in America. We don't want complacent head-in-the-sand type Catholics either. I believe a balance is needed to give us hope and even some joy in our religious walk.

When I moved to Henderson, Nevada after spending thirty two years in the San Diego Diocese, I was surprised on just how many good things the church was doing here, in the so called Sin Valley of Nevada. I volunteered at a local Dominican Hospital and saw the church at its best. Street people would come into the hospital for food vouchers to eat in the cafeteria. Sister Michael, a Dominican Sister in charge of hospitality, would not only give them the vouchers she would pray with them and bless them with oil. I can't count the people who would tear up when this happened.

One morning at the senior complex where I live, I was asked to go to the Catholic Charities Center across the street from the hospital and pick up bread they gave out once a week. This senior complex receives this free bread from Catholic charities and not one person in the complex knows where it comes from. While I was at the Catholic Charities warehouse, I found many people working filling orders for various places throughout the valley. I was given the grand tour and introduced to many dept heads. Each department had different types of services from childcare to clothing stores, produce stores, canned foods and rooms filled to the ceiling with cereal.

The Catholic Charities seem to work in silence here in Henderson. I have asked many people whether they knew what Catholic Charities does. Not one person could tell me. I believe, the media needs to be more active in furthering the progress in the good things the church is doing everywhere.

Jim Behrendt
Henderson, Nevada.

A SON'S TRIBUTE

The loss of my father is the greatest sorrow I've ever felt. The man whom I called Dad was a blessing to my life in every way. We all know Bob Murphy (He Loved Like No One Else, by Janet Howard, July/August 2006) as a man of God, a servant to love and kindness, a spiritual mentor, and of course an influential musician who touched many lives with his gospel. You see, my Dad came into my life when I needed him the most and helped me become the man I am today.

I remember when I was very young I used to pray for a Dad who would take me camping, someone I could play catch with, take me fishing, throw me in the air, someone that I could have that special male bond with. Needless to say, those prayers were answered with the man I call Dad. Growing up he was a tough man, especially because of my hyper-activity. I was a wild one, always in some kind of mischief, causing trouble. But my Dad was always there to give me the discipline I needed, whether I liked it or not. He taught me the morals of life; honor, integrity, strength, love, good-will, how to put others before you, compassion, faith and faithfulness. He taught me everything he had to offer, everything that he had himself, and he did it by living it. He was the ultimate example of how we should live our lives day by day. To be honest, I didn't understand much of this till later on. To me I was just forced to go to church, was always being lectured, and was always being told what to do. But little did I know that God had a plan for me. He answered my prayers, gave me what I had prayed for, and gave me a Dad that understood not what I wanted but what I needed. As I grew older and a little wiser, I began to understand what my Dad had been doing for me, he was molding me to become a man.

When my Mom and Dad got a divorce, it was so hard for all of us, but to see my Dad hurt so deeply crushed me. I remember one time, I think I was about 13, when all the wounds were deep, I began to understand what was happening to my Dad, and at that point it was the first time I had ever cried with such intense emotion. I loved him so much and I knew he hurt uncontrollably inside, so that day I cried for the both of us. That day would mark the new beginning to our father-son love. A love that couldn't be touched, a love that would always grow stronger and stronger, no matter what obstacles would come between us. It's not every day that a man with no children, and a boy with no father are brought together by a miracle of God himself, we were purposely placed into each other's life to be changed for ever, to grow and to love one another for ever.

Losing him has been very hard, and I am so appreciative of all the love and compassion everyone has shown me. I sometimes catch myself with my phone in my hand ready to call him and tell him thanks for everything and tell him how much I love him, or tell him that we should go to dinner and catch up on each other's lives. But I can't. And that's something that's going to take a long time to get used to.

His funeral was so beautiful and I want to thank everyone so much for helping make it so memorable. When I started planning [it] ... I realized that he touched people by his universal language; music -- a language that my Dad and I shared, a language that he taught me how to speak, and a language that everyone could understand. I was so scared. But when it came down to it, all the people disappeared, the emotion grew intense, and it was just me speaking to him, telling him that I'll miss him and that healways be a part of my life.

We all have to be strong and try to understand that he's home now. We can't let ourselves be blinded by the physical loss of a man that changed us all. I know he went to heaven with a platinum V.I.P. card, and God looked to him and said, "Welcome home my son, you have served me well!" We have to remember what he taught us, and live it each day, and know that he can do more for us now than ever before.

I loved my Dad very much, and I know he loved me. Everyone told me how proud he was to be my Dad. How proud I am to be the son of such a great man!

Skylar Michael Duran Murphy

GUITAR MASSES

Thank you, Janet Howard, for that great article on Bob Murphy. His premature death will be a great loss to the Catholic community in San Diego, although I believe his memory will live on for a long time. You guys have actually written about him before. He was the guitarist that Stanford Espedal described in the April 2003 Roamin' Catholic column as the one who led the choir at Holy Trinity in "an assortment of hot licks, driving rhythms, and arpeggios." (I remember, I was at that Mass).

Bob Murphy came to my high school some years ago (St. Augustine) and performed at our weekly Mass. I recall him giving a very moving reflection on the importance of leading a chaste Christian life as men of God. He was truly an inspiration to me in not only having the courage to lead a life of chastity, but also in becoming a liturgical guitarist myself. I will never be intimidated by conservatives who look down at guitar Masses again.

Joseph Phillips,
El Cajon

CAREFUL LANGUAGE

I appreciate the fact that an abortionist was turned away from abortions (Adopt an Abortionist, by Robert Kumpel, June 2006), and I appreciate you having written the story about that. However, you need to be more careful about your language. You used the language of the pro-aborts. For example, you said doctors, physicians, and abortion clinics. The correct terminology is abortionists, baby killers, and killing centers.

The pro-life movement would have saved perhaps way more than a million babies if we had all used the correct language.

In God's service,

Kenneth E. Kogut
Concord, California

EXPOSING GRAVE SIN

Dear friends of truth at San Diego News Notes. Your newspaper gives me the good news that indeed there are brave young woman and men that protest against the evils of perversion that are supported at the (Catholic?) USD. I need to see these in print because I can copy it and mail it to people I know and perhaps convince them that I didn't make it up.

Protesting and exposing grave sin is what believers of Catholic teaching are supposed to do, just in case someone doesn't know the difference between right and wrong and is afraid to ask. Or perhaps they could have the misfortune of asking some one who believes you can follow your conscience, that conscience has not been formed by the truth of faith.

I recently heard a sermon given by Father John Corapi, and he read out the scriptural account from Ezechiel which speaks clearly on the issue of warning a person about the gravity of sin and danger to the loss of his soul, and by doing that they can save their own soul. So News Notes has been doing what Ezechiel preached, and I say thank God for News Notes.

Doris Farenbaugh

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