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Here are your weekend must reads. A new book by Alyssa Maldonado-Estrada brings the reader into the community of male Catholic devotion via planning meetings, church basements, money rooms, tattoos and male kinships. There is an invitation in the pandemic, writes Frank J. Cunningham, even though it puts the squeeze on social contact for senior citizens. And Colman McCarthy shares stories of families who have lost loved ones to homicide but remain against the death penalty.
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** Book on Brooklyn's 'giglio' feast highlights Catholic male devotion ([link removed])
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Alyssa Maldonado-Estrada’s Lifeblood of the Parish is a detailed ethnographic account of Italian American Catholicism and masculinity at the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, called OLMC. Maldonado-Estrada, focusing on the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Dance of the Giglio, gives readers a window into the world of male Catholic devotion in Brooklyn.

We are given backstage access to an intimate tradition that fleshes out how "masculine Catholic bodies are not born but made." The author describes how these men's devotion to the parish is "about service ... time, training, and giving," generating a piety that is intergenerational and enduring.

Maldonado-Estrada complicates what masculinity looks like in the Catholic Church, marking it as a process that occurs over years of piety, devotion, but above all work.

You can read the full review here. ([link removed])

More background:
* Maldonado-Estrada recently reviewed Angel Garcia’s book (/news/opinion/new-book-tells-how-priest-laypeople-worked-justice-south-bronx) The Kingdom Began in Puerto Rico: Neil Connolly’s Priesthood in the South Bronx, calling it "a biography of a priest trying to make sense of his own authority and mission" and "a social and religious history of the South Bronx."

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** A lesson in waiting in a world that the virus will change significantly ([link removed])
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The white season of short days has it charms, even under grey skies, writes Frank J. Cunningham.

"Engagement abounds, even in our small town — concerts and film series at a nearby college, Tuesday night euchre and Friday morning mahjong, outings with friends at home or in restaurants and pubs, Sunday afternoon piano recital series and Friday noon 'ROMEO' lunches (Retired Old Men Eating Out), gallery shows and book discussion groups."

When COVID-19 cancelled his beloved daily activities, Cunningham felt the squeeze on his social contact. How to cope, then? Cunningham turns to German novelist Herman Hesse, Henri Nouwen, and Zachariah and Elizabeth, Mary, Simeon and Anna, among others, for inspiration.

"Herein lies the pandemic's invitation. Engage a lesson in waiting. Hope for the sun to return in time to dapple the snow and glisten the big lake's ice. Wait for the first false spring and the giddy rush to get outside to rake the late-dropping oak leaves. Wait for the encouraging warmth that will bring friends together in yards and parks. Wait for a vaccine and the all clear it will signal. Wait through the hierarchy of priorities for our turn."

You can read his full commentary here. ([link removed])
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** More headlines
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* Against the backdrop of a surge in federal executions, columnist Colman McCarthy shares the stories of families ([link removed]) who have lost loved ones to homicide but publicly lobby against governmental vengeance.
* Regular Scripture for Life contributor Sr. Francine Dempsey shares a reflection in Soul Seeing ([link removed]) : "Darkness is everywhere: the ever-growing pandemic, the depths of inequality, the effects of Earth's mistreatment; endless war. But in this darkness is there also light? Are they one?"
* Sr. Mary McGlone offers her perspective on the Gospel ([link removed]) for the second Sunday in Ordinary Time: Whether or not we think it through, whether or not we ever imagine Jesus asking us, everything we do responds to Jesus' question, "What do you seek?"

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** Weekend wrap-up
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Soul Seeing columns, like the one by Francine Dempsey mentioned above, offer a spiritual reflection "on the beauty that hides behind appearances and the peace that is beyond all understanding."

If, like me, you’re already overwhelmed by the ever-dizzying news cycle of 2021, a regular reminder to check in with your soul might be just what you need. Click here to read more and to sign up for email updates ([link removed]) .


See you next weekend,

Brittany Wilmes (subbing in for Stephanie Yeagle)
Engagement Editor
[email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
Twitter: @bwilmes ([link removed])

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