"Catholic" Colleges; Haunted Dorms; Belated Music Monday.

Okay, so I originally started this post last Friday but due to insane amounts of homework and other things have prevented me from updating. Anyway, I have time now so...

I'm wondering how many people out there attend "Catholic" colleges and universities. Why did I use the quotation marks around the word Catholic? Simple. "Catholic" colleges were founded by/for Catholics but have strayed from the teachings of the Church. These schools usually have performances of the V-Monologues, birth control access on campus, gay/lesbian support groups and festivals, and other things. Though I have been a student at my particular college for nearly 2 years now, I have yet to actually attend it. Financial issues have prevented me from physically attending the school but I still consider myself a part of it. I still get emails from the college (to my student email account) about film screenings, volunteer work, and events happening at the college. All of it gets me excited about finally attending it this Fall (when I will finally be able to apply for the loan to pay for it myself). I was doing some research, because there is only so much you can find out from friends and from campus visits, and I found out two things that made me cringe. 1) It's held performances of the V-Monologues, and 2) they've had pro-choice/pro-abortion speakers at the graduation ceremonies. You can argue that since the school is compromised of about a 97% female student body, it would make sense that these types of things happen... except that it's a CATHOLIC school therefore those things shouldn't have taken place in the first place. I know they haven't performed the V-Monologues in about a year or two (or three), which I'm happy about. Still, I know that with other things, I will probably have issues with. I was considering applying elsewhere, maybe to a place like Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, CA or Ave Maria University in Naples, FL... somewhere more faithful than where I'm at. I was really considering it until Andrew (from Per Fidem) sent me this quote:

"If you want your kids to defend their Faith send them to a public school, if you want them to lose their Faith send them to a Catholic School."
-- Archbishop Fulton Sheen

I'd actually started thinking about staying at my school, and fighting against any anti-Catholic activities that might take place, prior to getting the quote. Reading it only re-affirmed my decision to stick it out and do what I can to make sure it remains Catholic. I'm not much a fighter, and consider myself more of a pacifist (with occasional sarcasm, lol), but for this I would totally step up and say something. I know someone high in the ladder of administration thinks the school should be seen as "truth-seeking" instead of a "church"... which really bugs me because I know exactly what is meant by that. This person should listen to Bishop Martino about how "because it is a Catholic institution, it also has a responsibility to transmit Catholic teaching to its students in ways that are not ambiguous or confusing." I don't know just how much of a fight I have ahead of me but I welcome any challenge because it'll only make my faith stronger. I mean, students have fought against birth control being distributed on campus (with a positive result). More and more universities, such as Santa Clara University, have begun banning the V-Monolgues.

Oh yeah, and that whole thing about the dorms being haunted... uh, the scariest thing I've found on that campus is how slow the elevator in the Humanities building is. lol. We received an email, from the school's newspaper, asking for stories about haunting that have been going on on campus. Apparently, a ghost of a nun is seen walking through the halls of one dorm, and another ghost is seen in the elevator of another dorm... neither of which I am signing up for. Haha. That wasn't intentional either. I chose my dorm/apartment a year ago. :D I don't know what to make of it. I'm not a fan of supernatural things. Psychics? Don't believe 'em. One once told me that I'd be married with a child by my 23rd birthday. I haven't come close and my next birthday (the big 2-4) is a little under 3 months from now. :D Ghosts? Uh, I get enough fighting with them and demons in my nightmares, thanks. A friend said this was common is all schools? *shrugs* Thoughts? Comments? All are welcomed on this topic.

So, since I missed Music Monday yesterday (I was literally out from 6:30 a.m. until 6:15 p.m.) I have a belated video to share. The song is called "Typical" by Mute Math.



I LOVE Mute Math. Rumors are that they started out as a Christian Rock band but have asked that the label not be put on them. Knowing this and listening to their songs, especially "Chaos" you can see there are many ways you can interpret the songs. *shrugs* Even if they weren't, I'd love their music. :D

Alright, that's it for now. I hope to write another one tomorrow because I have some special requests I've been asked to write about... and I want to get those done as soon as I can. As always, thanks for reading and God Bless. :D
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Gregorian Chant; Pure Love Club; Application to Date Daughter.

I've been listening to A LOT of Gregorian chant music in the form of "The Catholic Mass" album by the Brotherhood of St. Gregory and Sisters of Mercy. I've also been listening to songs from the "Chant - Music For the Soul" album that the Cistercian Monks of Stift Heiligenkreuz released. If you haven't heard of the story of how the they (Cistercian Monks) got a record deal, you should totally check it out. And, you can learn more about them at their site (Stift Heiligenkreuz). I've linked it to the English translation for you guys. :D I remember reading about them around the time it the record deal happened and I was so happy to hear of it. There isn't enough of this beautiful music... at least, that's my opinion. There's something so... I don't know how to describe it except saying "beautiful", about it. It centers me, especially when I'm praying. I'm the type of person who CANNOT concentrate unless there's some background noise. Well, okay, the only time I love total silence is when I'm praying. Otherwise, I need some music or something. I've found that Gregorian chant actually works better than classical or cool jazz (yes, jazz music is cool but I mean the sub-genre "cool jazz") for me. If you've never tried using the music when you want to relax or even to help you get in the mood for prayer, I strongly suggest you try it! :D

Another thing I suggest you check out is this website called Pure Love Club. The website has all these wonderful features to help people stay pure and chaste. They have a great Chastity Q&A that covers all topics that you could possibly think of, including the Morality of Birth Control, How to Stay Pure, Dating, and Vocations. I really liked this website, from the first time I visited it, because I think it's important that young Catholics really get informed on these topics. There's so much propaganda about things that the Church frowns on (ie birth control, abortion, etc) in the mainstream that it's easy to get mislead. So, please, take a moment to check it out. I think you'll like it. :D

And... one more thing I think you guys will get a kick out of. My "little sister" DJ sent me this a few months ago and I think it's something we young women should have copies of (and young men should be prepared for). It's called "The Application to Date my Daughter" and it's super awesome. Let me tell you, even guys have gotten a kick out of it. :D Just click the following link to download the file that contains the application. (I uploaded it myself). http://www.sendspace.com/file/bbf2f8

That is all for today. I want to go watch the "Therese" dvd I got from Netflix. I've heard many great things about the film so I can't wait! I hope they do St. Therese of Lisieux and her life justice!

As always, thanks for reading and God Bless. :D
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Birth Control, Palm Sunday Mass, St. Teresa of Avila and Our Lady of Guadalupe.

I know, I know. It's been nearly 2 weeks since the last update. The big gaps between entries is completely unplanned. First I was hit with debilitating anxiety that kept me in bed for a few days, followed by my first cold since November 2005 (oh yeah, my immune system's pretty awesome) and topped off with stomach pain for a few days. As someone who my friends consider lucky, I really haven't had much luck in the health department lately.

Without getting into details, one of those things I was/am "suffering" from made me think about birth control. And, okay, a discussion on the Roman Catholic (Global) facebook group about abortion inspired me to write about this was well. I won't go into what I REALLY think about birth control and abortion because I sincerely have no time to go through hate messages from Pro-Choice people but I will make it known I'm very Pro-Life. One thing that always irritates me is when nurses and/or doctors assume I'm either on some sort of birth control and/or having sex. I vividly remember the last time I got really upset over this. A nurse was taking my vitals before I could see the doctor and she straight out asked me "What kind of birth control do you use?" I looked at her, blinked and said "I'm not on birth control." She looked at me shocked and said "Then what do use when you have sex? Nothing? That's dangerous! So many STDs." That's when I got upset (and, I'll admit, kinda overreacted) and said "I use it because I don't need birth control! I'm not having sex! Even then, I won't use it!" The rest of the conversation is a little fuzzy but I do remember saying that I was offended that she assumed I was having sex and even moreso because she knew the kind of person I was/am. I also mentioned that I was going to wait until I was married until I had that type of intimate relationship with someone. I understand she'd say something like that because, statistically, young "minority" women have high birth rates and are very likely to engage in intercourse at a very young age. Still, I would think it would've been more appropriate to ask me if I was sexually active before assuming I was and asking me what type of birth control I was on. I wrote this on the facebook group and I will write it again... if I had a penny for every time I was asked what kind of birth control I was on, or asked why I wasn't on birth control by doctors and/or nurses, I'd rich.

It's amazing how not many people know about Natural Family Planning (NFP). I personally am not an expert on the subject since I've never had a need to learn about it (as in, I've never been engaged or even thought about marriage with someone I was dating) but I know it's the only "birth control" officially accepted by the Catholic Church. And it's not actual birth control either, hence the quotation marks. If/when I get married, it'll be what I'll be using. I know it's going to probably get a frown from the family doctor but I don't care. There's far too much pressure from society (on women) to be on birth control and I have no desire to give into that, especially knowing it's a mortal sin. There's a good article I read on the topic at Catholic Online which can be found here. Okay, moving away from this subject...

Today (well, it's technically still Sunday here in California) is Palm Sunday! This is one of my favorite times of the year. I was so bummed out that I didn't make it to Mass... yet again. This time, it wasn't my fault. When I was ready and willing to go to Mass, my father didn't want to take me. When he was ready to take me, I felt too sick to go. See, in the morning I felt fine and I actually want to go early. My dad said he wanted to go fix the car and/or go shopping. I couldn't convince him otherwise so I went to my room and ended up falling asleep watching the Manchester City vs Tottenham game (by the way, whoo for Man City winning! I'm a fan of Nery Castillo's!). In that time that I took a little nap, dad managed to sneak away and he didn't end up getting home until after the last English Mass was over. Ugh. I planned on walking to a nearby parish (which, I hate to admit, I am not too comfortable attending Mass at) but then I remembered it was the 6 o'clock Mass and that lead to me falling into a "fit" of tears because I knew there was no way I would be able to make it through the mass. The 6 o'clock Mass at the nearby Parish is the most crowded and the parish is smaller than the parish I normally attend. Last time I tried to be at that Mass, I ended up leaving after only 2 minutes because of the claustrophobia that turns into panic. For those who've never experienced a panic attack, I will hopefully write an entry about it sometime this week (hopefully tomorrow) to help y'all understand a bit better. Anyway, because I began getting very lightheaded and everything, I ended up missing it... but not before I shed a few tears. Mom tried to console me by saying that I'd watched Pope Benedict XVI give the live Palm Sunday mass at 2 in the morning last night and therefore got his blessing but I still felt bad. My dislike of missing Mass makes me very prone to having the waterworks open. What can I say... I don't like being disrespectful by not attending Mass. I know it's not my fault, especially with my anxiety, but still... it's doesn't feel right.

Something else that doesn't feel right... not going to confessions every week. Even if it's for something like a curse word that came out without thinking (as in, I didn't consciously make the decision to curse), I don't feel right. I just start counting down the days until Saturday when I can go to confessions. The priest who I've confessed the most to lately, Fr. Hoang, knows me so well that he doesn't really give me much to do as penance. Sometimes I do a little more than asked because I feel like I am getting away too easily, even if I'm probably getting exactly what I deserve. Anyway, something I came across while reading the first couple of chapters of St. Teresa's autobiography... she was the exact same way. In fact, the more I read about her life, the more I find similarities between herself and I. I honestly had to stop a couple of times and think to myself "It's almost like she is reading my mind... over 400 years after she wrote it." I am starting to think she might be my patron saint because of the similarities. I've never had so much in common with a saint. Honestly. I've found a saint I can relate to on so many different things. And, speaking of her autobiography, I am about to wrap this blog because I promised Our Lady of Guadalupe to get through 75 pages before I fell asleep. (Oh, and St. Teresa is now on my Patron Saints list on the right hand column).

Our Lady of Guadalupe has really done miracles for me lately. I had trouble sleeping a few nights ago (a lot of those nights ended with my on the verge of panic attacks and other screwy feelings) but since I've asked for her intercession, I've been feeling better. I promised her I'd go to Mass but, unfortunately and completely out of my hands, you all know why I couldn't make that happen. Mom said Our Lady would understand because she knows just how sick I get. I also asked Our Lady for specific help yesterday night and we got a call this morning that is basically an answer to my prayer to her. I also feel like she gave Fr. Leo a little push to call me to set up a meeting because he called pretty late (after 8 p.m.) and I didn't think he would even set up a meeting with me. Ask Our Lady and she will do her best to help you!

Okay, I should really get going because I'm already half asleep and still have 75 pages to read. I should eat something to help keep me up longer. Hmm. Anyway, that is all for now. If I am able to write an entry tomorrow, hopefully I'll be able to write about a few things I want to write about... such as how my novel is coming along, how Jane Austen is trying to give me unrealistic expectations about love *cough*Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice*cough* (and how I am okay with that, lol), and how I've discovered cheese-less pizzas while dealing with a broken skylight. Oh yes. lol. Until next time, thanks for reading and God Bless. :D