Seperation of Church and State?

Do you know the Preamble for your state? . .

Alabama 1901, Preamble We the people of the State of Alabama , invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution..

Alaska 1956, Preamble We, the people of Alaska , grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land.

Arizona 1911, Preamble We, the people of the State of Arizona , grateful to Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution…

Arkansas 1874, Preamble We, the people of the State of Arkansas , grateful to Almighty God for the privilege of choosing our own form of government…

California 1879, Preamble We, the People of the State of California , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom…

Colorado 1876, Preamble We, the people of Colorado , with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of Universe…

Connecticut 1818, Preamble. The People of Connecticut, acknowledging with gratitude the good Providence of God in permitting them to enjoy.

Delaware 1897, Preamble Through Divine Goodness all men have, by nature, the rights of worshipping and serving their Creator according to the dictates of their consciences.

Florida 1885, Preamble We, the people of the State of Florida , grateful to Almighty God for our constitutional liberty, establish this Constitution…

Georgia 1777, Preamble We, the people of Georgia , relying upon protection and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution…

Hawaii 1959, Preamble We , the people of Hawaii , Grateful for Divine Guidance … Establish this Constitution.

Idaho 1889, Preamble We, the people of the State of Idaho , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings.

Illinois 1870, Preamble We, the people of the State of Illinois, grateful to Almighty God for the civil , political and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.

Indiana 1851, Preamble We, the People of the State of Indiana , grateful to Almighty God for the free exercise of the right to choose our form of government.

Iowa 1857, Preamble We, the People of the State of Iowa , grateful to the Supreme Being for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our dependence on Him for a continuation of these blessings, establish this Constitution.

Kansas 1859, Preamble We, the people of Kansas , grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious privileges establish this Constitution.

Kentucky 1891, Preamble.. We, the people of the Commonwealth are grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties..

Louisiana 1921, Preamble We, the people of the State of Louisiana , grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties we enjoy.

Maine 1820, Preamble We the People of Maine acknowledging with grateful hearts the goodness of the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe in affording us an opportunity .. And imploring His aid and direction.

Maryland 1776, Preamble We, the people of the state of Maryland , grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberty…

Massachusetts 1780, Preamble We…the people of Massachusetts, acknowledging with grateful hearts, the goodness of the Great Legislator of the Universe In the course of His Providence, an opportunity and devoutly imploring His direction

Michigan 1908, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Michigan , grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of freedom, establish this Constitution.

Minnesota, 1857, Preamble We, the people of the State of Minnesota, grateful to God for our civil and religious liberty, and desiring to perpetuate its blessings:

Mississippi 1890, Preamble We, the people of Mississippi in convention assembled, grateful to Almighty God, and invoking His blessing on our work.

Missouri 1845, Preamble We, the people of Missouri , with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, and grateful for His goodness . Establish this Constitution…
Montana 1889, Preamble. We, the people of Montana , grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty establish this Constitution .

Nebraska 1875, Preamble We, the people, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom . Establish this Constitution.

Nevada 1864, Preamble We the people of the State of Nevada , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, establish this Constitution…

New Hampshire 1792, Part I. Art. I. Sec. V Every individual has a natural and unalienable right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience.

New Jersey 1844, Preamble We, the people of the State of New Jersey, grateful to Almighty God for civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.

New Mexico 1911, Preamble We, the People of New Mexico, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty..

New York 1846, Preamble We, the people of the State of New York , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure its blessings.

North Carolina 1868, Preamble We the people of the State of North Carolina, grateful to Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of Nations, for our civil, political, and religious liberties, and acknowledging our dependence upon Him for the continuance of those…

North Dakota 1889, Preamble We , the people of North Dakota , grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, do ordain…

Ohio 1852, Preamble We the people of the state of Ohio , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings and to promote our common.

Oklahoma 1907, Preamble Invoking the guidance of Almighty God, in order to secure and perpetuate the blessings of liberty, establish this

Oregon 1857, Bill of Rights, Article I Section 2. All men shall be secure in the Natural right, to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their consciences

Pennsylvania 1776, Preamble We, the people of Pennsylvania, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoking His guidance….

Rhode Island 1842, Preamble. We the People of the State of Rhode Island grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing…

South Carolina, 1778 Preamble We, the people of the State of South Carolina grateful to God for our liberties, do ordain and establish this Constitution.

South Dakota 1889, Preamble We, the people of South Dakota , grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberties ..

Tennessee 1796, Art. XI..III. That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their conscience…

Texas 1845, Preamble We the People of the Republic of Texas , acknowledging, with gratitude, the grace and beneficence of God.

Utah 1896, Preamble Grateful to Almighty God for life and liberty, we establish this Constitution.

Vermont 1777, Preamble Whereas all government ought to enable the individuals who compose it to enjoy their natural rights, and other blessings which the Author of Existence has bestowed on man ..

Virginia 1776, Bill of Rights, XVI Religion, or the Duty which we owe our Creator can be directed only by Reason and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian Forbearance, Love and Charity towards each other

Washington 1889, Preamble We the People of the State of Washington, grateful to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution

West Virginia 1872, Preamble Since through Divine Providence we enjoy the blessings of civil, political and religious liberty, we, the people of West Virginia reaffirm our faith in and constant reliance upon God …

Wisconsin 1848, Preamble We, the people of Wisconsin, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, domestic tranquility…

Wyoming 1890, Preamble We, the people of the State of Wyoming , grateful to God for our civil, political, and religious liberties, establish this Constitution…

*It seem that each and every state constitution is unconstitutional if there should truly be a wall of seperation between Church and State...

Safely Back from Santiago...

I am back in Rome, safe and sound...

It was a great pilgrimage, and I will post some pictures and reflections this week-end. Thank you all for the prayers and support.

Pictures from Santiago de Compostela

Camino Day 7: Padrón to Santiago de Compostela

Route: Padrón to Santiago de Compostela (20 k, 12 1/2 mi.)

Description:After 2k of main road the camino follows minor roads through hamlets and fields generally between the railway and the A9 (a major express way). At 9k cross the A9 and continue along minor roads through the 'new' town of Milladoiro. On the summit of the next hill the spires of the cathedral can be seen. Just after crossing the railway track and the River Sar, the outskirts of Santiago are reached and yellow arrows lead to the cathedral.

I do not want to write much of a reflection. I am writing these a head of time, and really do not know what I will be feeling and thinking as I approach Santiago de Compostela. Thank you all for your prayerful support.

I will send an update when I get back to Rome in a few days.

Saint James of Compostela...

...Pray for us!

Camino Day 6: Caldas de Reis to Padrón

Route: Caldas de Reis to Padrón, a small town of about 10,000 people famous for its papers, which are traditionally eaten fried in oil - yum (19 k, 11 3/4 miles).

Description: A rural and well wooded section until Pontesecures is reached. Cross the River Ulla and enter Padron

Tomorrow we begin the final stretch into Santiago de Compostela.

Saint James of Compostela...

...Pray for us.

Easter Vigil

Easter vigil at the tomb of Christ

There is only one Church in the world that claims: Christos non est hic - Christ is not here. It not only claims it but flaunts it in big gold letters. This church is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher - the place of the resurrection. When the women approached the tomb on that first Easter morning almost 2,000 years ago the angel simply proclaimed - He is not here. Let us rejoice that the tomb was found empty, and hence our death and sin has been vanquished.

Camino Day 5: Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis

Stats: Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis (23 k, 14 miles)

Destionation: Caldas de Reis (no description was found of this town)

Description: Through the city of Pontevedra,crossing the 'old' Burgo bridge to continue through a long well wooded valley bordered by the railway. After 6k the camino enters an area of mixed farmland and small plots and follows a cross country route parallel with the N550 until the immediate outskirts of Caldas De Reis.

Why walk? Simple Jesus walked every where. Besides boats (and we can't expect him to walk on water [hey wait a minute we can], the only vehicle that Jesus used during his public ministry were his own two feet. There is only one exception - PALM SUNDAY - when he was entering Jerusalem as a king to mount his throne. He was the king of peace, since he rode in on a lowly mule, instead of the war horse; and his throne of glory was the cross.

While I desire to be like Christ, since a priest is an alter Christus (another Christ), I know that I am not ready to rid in on the donkey, so I will take the walking.

Saint James of Compostela...

...Pray for us.

Good Friday

And the sanctuary veil was torn in two, from top to bottom.

In his death on the cross the Lord reveals to us the depth of the Fathers love. The Father has denied as nothing, for He sent His consubstantial Son into the Word, who died upon the cross.

Where as before God was limited to the temple, as the Lord breathes his last on the cross - at that very moment the veil of the sanctuary was torn into two from the top to the bottom. Only God could have done that.

Camino Day 4: Redondela to Pontevedra

Stats: Rendondela to Pontevedra (19 k, 11 3/4 miles)
Start: Rendondela, a very small seaside town
Destination: Pontevedra, an ancient Spanish city famous for its equally ancient Roman bridge
Description: By minor roads, keeping to the west of the N550 to enter a forested section which joins the N550 at the entrance to Arcade. 1k to the bridge at Pontesampaio. Through the backstreets of Pontesampaio to enter and follow a sunken lane which climbs to a wooded and agricultural area. A long road section of 4k leads to the outskirts of Pontevedra.

Short reflection for this day: This pilgrimage is primarily about prayer, so I will just share a few pilgrims' prayers with you:

Lord,
you who called your servant Abraham out of the town of Ur in Chaldea and who watched over him during all his wanderings;
you who guided the Jewishpeople through the desert;
we pray for you to watch your servants, who for the love of your name, make
a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.
Be for us, a companion on our journey the guide on our intersections,
the strengthening during fatigue, the fortress in danger, the resource on our
itinerary, the shadow in our heat, the light in our darkness, the consolation
during dejection and the power of our intention so that we under your guidance,
safely and unhurt, may reach the end of our journey,and strengthened with
gratitude and power, secure and filled with happiness, may join our home, for
Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Amen.

Holy Thursday

An old view of the foot washing

A model of what it means to be a servant-ruler in the Christian sense

I give you a new commandment: to love one another as I have loved you. - Jesus Christ

Ubi caritas et amore, deus ibi est.

Our servant leader, Pope Benedict

Camino Day 3: Tui to Redondela

First day in SPAIN!

Stats: Tui to Rendondela (29 K, 18 miles)

Start: Tui

Destination: Rendondela

Description: From the cathedral of Tui the camino descends to the valley of the River Louro which is followed to Porrino (a small industrial town that is famous for its pink granite); sometimes in damp stretches and eventually for 7k alongside a vast industrial estate and the outskirts of Porrino. For 3k the route follows the N550, a major express way, and then, at Mos, takes minor roads and a few tracks through well wooded countryside until the descent into Redondela by the Ria De Vigo.

Simple Question: "When you are walking around, how do you find your way?" A very practical country, Spain is a very large country, and even large since I do not speak Spanish! The answer is also very simple. Since pilgrims have been walking these routes for over a thousand years, they have passed on to us a system of "way-markers" so that those who come after them do not get lost. In the picture above we see two examples of these way-markers. The one in front is a modern way marker, with the distinctive yellow shell, and the one further back in a very old medieval example.

This simple response can actually be an analogy for Tradition. Again, the Second Vatican Council taught that the whole Church is a pilgrim Church. We are all on the heavenly pilgrimage. It can be very easy to get lost on the way - so our ancestors in the faith have handed on "way-markers" which we call Tradition. This could be the handing on of the Holy Bible itself, the example of their lives, the Truth communicated during the liturgy, their theological reflection. These are the way-markers of the Christian life that lead us toward heaven.

Saint James de Compostela...

...Pray for us!

Camino Day 2: San Pedro de Rubiaes

Stats for Day one:
Start: San Pedro de Rubiaes, Portugal
Destination: Tui
Length: 20 kilometers (12 1/2 miles)
Description: Cross the River Coura to the pass at St. Bento Da Porta Aberta and descend to the valley of the Minho. Cobbled lanes give way to roads leading into Valenca. Walk down to the River Minho and cross by Eiffel's Puente Internacional (where we will cross from Portugal into Spain). Continue following the yellow arrows along urban 'lanes' to the cathedral.

A simple practical question that some of may be asking: "Okay, you are walking from town to town. It doesn't matter if it is raining or if that beautiful sun is shining. But where do you sleep at night?"

Well, pilgrims have been making this journey for centuries. It has become part of the culture in this region to care for pilgrims. Many of the local parished have adopted it as a "special ministry." As a result in almost every town there are pilgrim refuges. There is a picture of one above and to the left.

What is more important than the physical shelter is the generosity that flows from a charitable heart. The people that live along these routes have become known for there generosity and hospitality, and I hope challenge me to become more generous and charitable myself. After all the current Pope reminds us in Deus Caritas Est, that God is love, so the more we love, the more we resemble God.

Please keep me in prayer.
Please pray for me.

Camino Day 1: Ponte de Lima

Stats for Day one:

Start: Ponte de Lima (its famous avenue of plane trees - having greeted pilgrims for centuries - is pictured to the left)

Destination: San Pedro de Rubiaes

Length: 17 kilometers (10 1/2 miles)

Description: At times a damp track which follows streams and climbs through the forest to mountain of Portela Grande at 433 m (1300 ft.) before descending to Rubiaes.

This is the first day of pilgrimage. What is the purpose of going on pilgrimage? There is one for the pilgrim himself, and one for the Church. The Second Vatican Council teaches us that the Church is on a pilgrimage. We often forget this, and this is why the Council reminded us this teaching is actually very ancient.

If we keep in mind that all of us are on a pilgrimage - the ultimate pilgrimage to our true home in heaven. If we forget this profound truth, we will too often think that this world is heaven - and treat it as heaven. While this world is beautiful and wonderful, it is not heaven. If we try to find heaven here, we will ultimately be frustrated.

So the pilgrim becomes a fertile symbol of this reality - and reminds us of it.

Please pray for me.

Il Camino - On the Way

A very old wood-cut engraving of Saint James of Compostela in his pilgrim attire

This morning I will be boarding a Ryanair plane from Rome's Ciampino Airport to Santiago di Compostela in Spain. Shortly after that we will be taking a bus to a little town across the Portuguese border called Ponte de Lima, and there the pilgrimage will begin.

Seven men from the Pontifical North American College will be heading out on eight days of prayerful walking. One of the seven is a priest of Jesus Christ, so we will have the sacraments.

I have pre-set my blog to up-date you on my progress each day, so please keep on checking in. I will make sure to send up-dates and pictures when I return to Rome on April 17.

Please keep us in prayer as we join literally millions of other Christians on these age old route leading to Santiago, where the body of Saint James the Greater has been the object of veneration for generations.

On these routes men and women, young and old, have re-found their faith. Perhaps
we will meet some, pray that through us they can be inspired.
Many are seeking cures, pray that the Spirit may heal them.
We seek a deeper relationship with Christ, pray that we may follow him.

Saint James...

...Pray for us!

First earthquake?

There seems to have been a 6.5 magnitude earthquake last night at about 3:30 AM (this morning? - a horse a piece really). Its epicenter was about 53 miles north-east of Rome, so there was no damage in Rome, even though many people were awakened by the tremors, including myself.

It was much stronger of course at its epicenter, a town called L'Aquila. There are many injuries and even some deaths. Please keep these peolpe in your prayers.

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday procession at Westminister Cathedral in 1919

Remember that as Christians we do have a king - Christ the Lord. Today he prepares to mount his throne. He enters in a triumphal procession. This does not seem like a triumphal procession, for he does not ride the might war stallion, but rather the lowly mule. His throne is not the golden bench on a high pedestal, but rather the cross. It seem like defeat. We look with the eyes of Easter...

Send me on THE WAY (the Camino that is)

This is the most basic symbol of the pilgrimage to Santiago di Compostela, the shell. If anyone knows why, please enlighten me.

Usually I am not so bold, but I read once God rewards the bold.

On Monday, 06 April 2009, I will be boarding an airplane as the first part of a pilgriamge to Santiago di Compostela. Eight of those days I will be walking.

Pilgrims have been following these routes for centuries.This pilgrimage is often called the CAMINO, which is Spanish for "THE WAY."

All I will carry for these eight days must fit in a borrowed hiking pack, but I hope to carry something more, and those would be your prayer intentions. Please send them my way.

I personally seek to deepen my relationship with Christ, and the fraternal communion with the six other "brothers" (fellow seminarians) that I will be travelling with me. I expect that I will meet others on "THE WAY" who are also on the pilgrimage to God. I pray that I may be an instrument that draws them closer to the joy that is found in the Lord.

I ask for your prayers first of all, and please do not make these lacking for the Evil One detests pilgrimages and fraternal unity. Please also pray that we have good weather and for our health and safety. Please pray for the men and women, the young and old, we will meet on the way.

In addition though, as I make the last preparations for this pilgrimage, there are unexpected expenses that are starting to add up, so if you can find it in your generosity to provide a little extra support, I would be very grateful. Any gift no matter how little, goes a long way.

Please just send me a email note, if possible before Sunday evening if you can (or after -- but it may take me a while to respond since I will be walking come rain or shine!).

Please pray for me, and be sure of my prayers for you.
Saint James of Compostela, patron of pilgrims...

...pray for us!