Saturday, January 12, 2008

100th Post!

Too bad it's going to be technical... :)

I sat down here the other day and got the other internet circuit hooked up, but I had to go through another router. I'm beginning to think that's my caveat. What's happening now is that I can actually use VLC's web interface and actually set up VLC for VoD. It's taking successfully taking my MPEG-4 files to which the videos are encoded, and it looks like everything is behaving the way it's supposed to, except for ONE detail...

I can't get it to stream to my Windows box on a different internet circuit.

In a word, grumble.

I think I'll post the question to the VLC forum tomorrow. I'm kind tired, and not extremely happy that I wound up missing the Una Voce meeting in my neck of the woods today. Not that it could be avoided today, but it happened.

More later...

ICTM,
Chuck, MI

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Columbia Magazine and the Tridentine Mass

Like most other members of the Knights of Columbus, I got my copy of Columbia magazine late last week. There was an article in this issue about Summorum Pontificum and the Traditional Latin Mass called "What's Old Is New Again", written by former Our Sunday Visitor editor Gerald Korson. It was actually a good article, even referencing Sts. Philomenia and Cecilia Catholic Church in Oak Forest, IN (for which, unfortunately, I don't have a working link), which offers only the Tridentine Mass and is served by the FSSP, going over the recent history with the initial indult granted by Pope John Paul II in 1984 and his call for a greater use of the 1962 Roman Missal in 1988's Ecclesia Dei, and various other smaller items in the article that were either informative or in favor of the Tridentine Mass.

One part of the article that was problematic for me, though, was when they interviewed Msgr. M. Francis Mannon, a founding director of the Liturgical Institute in Chicago. He said training for the extraordinary rite would be difficult to institute in many seminaries.

"Liturgical formation in seminaries already consumes a good deal of time. How can an additional curriculum be incorporated?" He then goes on to say "(Formation programs) will have to ensure that the current liturgy is not in any way compromised."

While I can understand where Msgr. Mannon is coming from, I think the problem that we have today in this regard is the disappearance of Latin from the curriculum in many seminaries across the country. While being fluent in Latin would be ideal, at the very least Church Latin needs to be taught. And that's regardless whether or not programs for learning the extraordinary form would be implemented in a seminary. We, as Latin Rite Catholics, need to get back to Latin. It's still the official language of the Church and according to Sacrosanctum Consilium 36 (The Second Vatican Council's Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy), is still the primary language of the Latin Rite liturgy, and so much gets lost in the translation between the Magisterium and the people here in the United States. The ICEL has not given a good translation of even the Novus Ordo. When Latin is once again taught in seminaries in the United States, it'll be easier for a priest to learn the Tridentine Mass, and likely help the Novus Ordo with a more faithful understanding of the liturgy, which would improve translation to any other language as well.

Regardless, Latin must return to the seminaries, if not for the Old Mass, for the good of the whole Church.

More later...

ICTM,
Chuck, MI

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Technical and Film Notes

Well, thanks to a person on one of my local freecycle lists, I now have a router that I can hook up the extra internet circuit to. This will be handy. Although I fully intend, at least at first, to hook the linux box directly up to the modem, the router will be needed when I hook up a web server for the front end of the VOD system. Now, all I have to do is figure out a few details on NATting and routing and I think we'll be in business. I mean, I think we'll be in business from a functional standpoint before that, but having the front end would be nice too...

The copy of "The Vatican of Pius XII" came in today. This is good; I was beginning to wonder about it. I haven't gotten a chance to preview it yet. I do have a 16mm projector that I can't use for telecine but is good for just watching films on. I just can't really bring it out until I have room to set it up. I did look at what was written on the leader though. Someone put "The VACATION of Pius XII" on there. That would have been interesting. Shots of Castel Gandolfo...taking in a football (soccer) match between Juventus and AC Milan...just kinda hanging out...

Of course, as rare as that film would be, I think someone accidently wrote "vacation" instead of "Vatican". I'm not sure if Pope Pius XII was a football (soccer) fan. I know our current Holy Father, Benedict XVI, and Pope John Paul II both are/were fans of the game. I'm really becoming a fan myself, but I generally prefer the English Premiership over Serie A in Italy, and I'm a supporter for East London side West Ham United and not AS Roma or Juventus.

But I digress. I have to admit, between daily prayer and watching football (soccer), I've been able to maintain sanity in an otherwise hectic and stressful life. Mater Dei Television is closer than it ever was before of going up permanently, but our family finances are still pretty tight. My daily prayer, at this point, consists of my Militia Immaculata daily consecration prayer, the Miraculous Medal prayer, and sometimes an act of contrition in the morning, a Hail Mary and a St. Michael exorcism prayer before I start work, and an Our Father, Hail Mary, Angel of God, Glory Be, and another St. Michael before bed with my two older sons. It's good, but it can always be better. Watching the football (soccer) helps my brain relax like the prayers help my soul relax.

In any case, I've droned on enough. More later...

ICTM,
Chuck,MI