Most Church Militant ... I guess.

So a while back, before she became a supper-blogger-extraordinaire, The Crescat hosted her last Cannonball Catholic Awards. These, anti-Awards are more fun than anything, but have caused some controversy amongst some in the past. Essentially, even though they don't really mean anything, are voted on like a Chicago election, and have few-if-any rules, they still sometimes cause drama.

This year I actually won an award. I was nominated in two categories: Best Spiritual Treat & Most Church Militant. 


I won for Most Church Militant.

I didn't put my Anti-Award up because, well I was trying to keep my blog above-all-that.
But who do I think I am?
I got nominated for a fun award, and a lot of people voted for me. Even if the award is kind of, a little bit embaressing for my wife:
"Of.Course.You.Won.That.Category...AWESOME.::Facepalm::" (There might have been an eyeroll too!)

I have decided to put it up.
Mostly because it is some awesome Vincenzo art, but also because... I don't take myself too seriously.

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Patron Saint of ...

Jeff Miller, more famously known as The Curt Jester, published a clever post called "Saintly Planning" - advice on the things you need to do to become a saint.

Here's an excerpt:

Plus I think you really want to figure out what you are going to be the patron saint of ahead of time. Otherwise you might get one of those ironic patronages the Church seems to love so much. Pick wisely because you will be doing it for eternity or else you might get put in charge of the lost and found like St. Anthony.

And then, Larry and Dan tagged me, so I plagiarized Larry's post by copy and pasting it.


Here are the rules:

• For this meme, you must name your patronage.


• Then tag 5 other people who would like to play along.


• Linking your answer to your nominator's post would make it easier to get your answers.

Larry had other people choose his, but I am going to stick to the rules.

I choose being the patron of Hockey players. Mostly because last night I got some bad news about a pro, and really my life has been closely related to hockey players that have had struggles. I think there is something about the sport that makes people have some struggles. I also know that a lot of players are really good people and just would love to be some support and help to them. Plus, having a prayer card while wearing a Jersey would be awesome. (Vincenzo, feel free to mock up a prayer card with me, and a Red Wings or Canadiens jersey :)

Oh - by the way - the following future saints have been tagged to complete the meme as written:

All the people I actually think might respond to this were already tagged, so I am changing it. If you want to respond, respond and then link in the comment box. K thanks.

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"BishBall" - Bishop Draft Results

Wow! I couldn't be happier. I was not in the most enviable of draft spots in any of the rounds really. There were three rounds with 10 teams (30 picks total). My picks were:

• #10 (10 overall)
• #7 (17 Overall)
• #7 (27 Overall)

Not what I call a real power slot in any of those places. Fortunately, I got a team of very Orthodox Bishops. Now scoring is a little, "uncertain" - so it is yet to be seen how my strategy of "orthodoxy" over "activism" will play out. What I mean by that it, you get points for Bishops "doing things". So news stories, blog posts, homilies, etc... are how you score your points, and yes fidelity to Rome is required. So there was definitely an orthodoxy spin to all of this. That being said, and picking in the spots that I did, I am super happy that I got who I did.

So I introduce to you (yes we picked cheesey "team names"):

The Vicious Vicars!

From Left to Right:

• Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke (Link), Prefect for the Apostolic Signatura, Vatican
• Archbishop Robert Carlson (Link), Archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis
• Bishop Richard Vasa (Link), Coadjutor Bishop-Designate of Santa Rosa

Now I know that both Cardinal Burke and Bishop Vasa present a problem, in that they aren't Bishops (anymore or yet) of their own Diocese and therefore "news" from them will come at a different pace. Yet, picking so late in the rounds, I decided to go with orthodoxy over action. I know when they do "speak" or "act" it will be good solid stuff. In terms of the novelty of this whole game I couldn't really have asked for a better overall team. 

There were a few Bishops that I could have drafted, based on who was available that I am a little sad I didnt get to put on the team, but you cant pick em all. Those Bishops are: Bruskewitz, Morlino, Etienne and DiLorenzo. Obviously folks like Chaput were taken very early, and other Bishops like Cordileone, Finn, and Aquila were never available by the time I got to pick. Overall it was a lot of fun, and I look forward to giving some updates as things go along. For purposes of the local aspects of this blog, no Michigan or Alaskan Bishops were chosen by any of the 30 picks. 

If anyone wants to help me get "interviews" or in touch with these Bishops, so that I can persuade them to take some point scoring action, please let me know - I think we get bonus points if we get shout outs! 

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Fantasy BishBall Draft

So I have entered the ranks of the Catholic Elite Geekdom. Tonight, I have a "Fantasy Bishball" draft. What is Fantasy Bishball? Think "Fantasy Football" mixed with "Catholic Blog Punditry." In other words, a bunch of us will select 3 bishops each in "draft" fashion from the list of American Bishops. We will then "score" points based on various criteria. (Homilies, public statements, heretical smackdowns, etc...)

I know, I know - I am completely geeky and have way to much time on my hands. But in reality, it is making me learn a lot more about the men entrusted with the Church here in America. The hard part is constructing a list of the top 30 bishops here in the U.S. There are 10 "teams" and 3 rounds, so I have to have around 30 bishops that I would be willing to draft.

My pick order is #10, #17, & #27. I have a decent list, but with picks that late in each round, I need to risk a little bit. Obviously I won't be getting Chaput, Bruskewitz or Burke, so my thinking needs to be a bit more "outside of the confessional" if you know what I mean.

If you have any suggestions please let me know. The draft is 11pm ET/7pm AKT, so there are a few hours left to give me some sage advice. BTW - my team name is the: "Vicious Vicars". Anyone good with graphics could make me a logo if they'd like. I will let you know how the draft goes.

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