Papa,
The contractors missed something. Look at the awning (my brain can't think of what it's really called) over the stove in the "after" photo. They forgot to change it!
Chris,
I asked the contractor about that. He said that he had simply run out of harvest gold resources. In response to my enquiring what he meant by that, he likened it to using a shareware version of a graphics editor that expires before you finish everything.
I'm not sure how that analogy explains it, but I'm happy with my new kitchen anyway.
God bless you.
Papa
God bless you Papa Ratzi.
Your new Pope Mobile looks really cool.
Because you are the Pope, does that mean you can park anywhere. Or are there traffic wardens even in the Vatican?
Viva Il Papa
Simon,
Thank you for writing. Yes, I have the liberty to park just about anyplace I choose. It wasn’t always that way around here though. The Jesuits used to be in charge of parking ordinances and would give my late dear friend, Pope John Paul the Great, a very difficult time over where he could park. Finally he got fed up and turned the operation over to a group of third order Salesians and things have been running smoothly ever since.
God bless you.
Papa
Dearest Papa,
I was looking at brother Georg's building and all those windows...are you sure he wasn't home?
Now, about your kichen:
Did you think of the color yourself? I think that's rather sweet that you believe going from avocado green to harvest gold is a move up. Your kitchen floor is um interesting.
At this point, I don't think that having a different colored range and hood matters much. I just hope and pray that you will not be putting up that clown picture I saw (in the trailer). Just the thought of a clown scares me. They're bad, very, very bad!
I just have one question: When do you get to remodel again? Please let us know before you do it again, perhaps we could give you some ideas that might be a little more contemporary.
Big hugs
Pa,
Might I suggest that next time you remodel, you use GIMP. It's a pro bono contractor, sort of like a freeware graphics editor. GIMP is comparable to ADOBE but more cost efficient. I have used them for many of my remodeling projects.
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, y'all!
Maybe you should have consulted Cardinal Mahoney. I hear that his renovations are quite inspired. Archbishop Weakland would have been more than willing to help, I'm sure, since his retirement was accepted by your predecesor.
Papa,
When we moved into our present home we had really bad movers. We thought at the time that we had plenty of space, but sadly nature abhors a vacuum, and over the years we have filled all that space up with children and things. The children will eventually grow up and move out but the things will stay with us.
love.
Big Tex,
Thank you so much for your advice. I have been checking into your Gimp friends and it appears that may be able to help me. They said that their tools from ‘98 may not work correctly, but they are going to look into using some eXtra Professional tools back at the shop.
God bless you and thanks again.
Papa
M.Z.,
Thanks for your advice, umm...I think.
You’re the ribbon waving, lavender tights wearing guy, right?
God bless you.
Papa
In nomine Patris, + et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti.
Maggie,
I know what you mean. The cats come and go, but I still remain up to my elbows in little fuzzy mice.
God bless you and your family.
Papa
I see M.Z. got a special blessing
M.Z
You’re the ribbon waving, lavender tights wearing guy, right?
God bless you.
Papa
In nomine Patris, + et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti.
Papa, I wear lavender tights too
Scarlette,
Are you a guy?
Chris,
No I'm not a guy, so I'm not interested. Sorry.
But, M.Z. Forrest is a guy, (you would have to get past the lavender tights) although I think he already has a "partner".
Hmmm, who else? Oh, then there's that R*ck Lugar*, I don't know if he's married. If he is, his wife must be a saint.
I can't recommend Mr. Felderhoff as he's being helped by Fr. Guido Sarducci, I believe.
Are you by any chance in Australia? Jack Dwyer lives there. He sounds nice and if you're cute and sweet, he'll even tell you!
Good luck 
haven't read much yet, but judging by the photos everything looks excellent! this is gonna be a fun read. =)
Holy Father,
The harvest gold is a nice touch to your kitchen ensemble. It truly shows taste to have chosen that color over avocado green or pumpkin orange. Truly, you are wise.
To the others, I am feeling more like myself again thanks to Fr. Guido. He brought in a wonderful exorcist to cast the demons from me. I really don't remember anything about the situation but my loved ones tell me that it was not as severe a case as was depicted in the movie. I must apologize for the remarks I made about soccer.
A special thanks to Scarlette for her concern.
Cheers!
Scralette,
I apologize for failing to respond to your first post. To answer your “just one question”:
1. My brother George couldn’t have possibly been home because he knew I needed his help moving and he would never let me down.
1. I accepted harvest gold as the color of my kitchen based on the recommendation of the Italian master-craftsmen contractors.
1. I don’t think they will let me remodel again, but if they do, I will try to remember to seek your input.
Regarding your post about the additional blessing. I’m sorry to disappoint you child, but I was not offering an additional blessing to Mr. Forrest; I was blessing myself. I have found that whenever you encounter evil, it is wise to bless yourself.
God bless you.
Papa
Xvi,
Nice to see you again, please do read about my moving day.
Thank you and God bless you. 
Papa
Mr. Felderhoff,
Thank you, I find the harvest gold to be timeless in its aesthetics because like a good piece of music it is extravagant - yet warm, familiar - yet always new, and subtle - yet vibrant.
I am glad you are feeling better; God bless you.
Papa
Your Catholicness:
You have many friends around the world, even in a little place called Canterbury! The quire scholars have a serious question abut the renovated scullery. We noted the coat of arms in the old one; the new one seems oddly photographic when we enlarged it and it became fuzzy on the canon precentor's computer. Would you please either correct the separated brethren as to our observation or correct us--knowing how often your predecessors did so for the other 'ecclesial bodies' since Clement I. Ut unum sint and danke. The Boys of the Garth & the Quad
Dearest Papa, my mother has a brown refrigerator, vintage, much like the papal apartment trappings. She wants one with an icemaker. Do you have an interest? It would likely cost a bit to ship due to its delicate nature, but it might be worth it to continue the warm tones of your kitchen. Let me know; we can probably arrange a second collection for the transportation charges at our church. No one ever seems to understand what those second collections are for, so it shouldn't be a problem to sell another one. Oh, and Papa, glad to see you use Tidy Cat Crystals. They are a little pricier, but they don't leave as much dust on the priceless paintings and statuary, eh?
Scarlette,
I wasn't asking about gender status for that reason. I'm not interested, either. And I'm female
I asked because there wouldn't be as big a deal for a female to wear lavender tights. Out of fashion, perhaps, but not creepy like envisioning a hairy guy wearing them. I couldn't figure out why you mentioned that you wore lavender tights. I don't, BTW.
And Scarlette, I'm not interested that way either. Sorry.
As far as other guys you're recommending, I believe there's a simple person in Detroit (not to drop names, but R*ck L*g*r*) who's married and has four kids and a blog widow.
On a slightly unrelated note, some consider the red slippers Papa wears to be, well not so cool.
Niblets,
Thank you for stopping by. It is nice to know that my humble musings have such a diverse audience. As for the coat of arms in hanging in my kitchen; the interior decorator, an American Jesuit from New York, thought that using a computer-generated image would be a ’mahvelous’ commingling of traditional and contemporary. I just thought to myself, yeah, whatever.
Ut unum sint.
God bless you.
Papa
Linda,
Thank you for your kind offer, but I already have a ‘classic’ refrigerator in harvest gold. Perhaps your mother could donate hers to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and then use the second collection at Mass to purchase metal chalices to donate to the Archdioceses of Cincinnati or Los Angeles; apparently those regions are suffering from a severe metal shortage and have to use glass goblets for Mass.
Thank you also for the tip about Tidy Cat, I was not aware that it was better than the other brands. I went with that brand because it looked appropriate when I googled “kitty litter.”
God bless you.
Papa
Chris,
On a slightly unrelated note, some consider the red slippers Papa wears to be, well not so cool.
Obviously they must be envious, so it comes as a shock that my humble shoes are an occasion of sin for some. Let us pray for these poor tormented souls and refer them to the nearest cobbler so they can get a pair of their own.
God bless you.
Papa
Chris,
Just between you and me, I don't really wear lavender tights either. I just wanted the "lavender tights" blessing I thought Papa was giving. But, he set me straight on that.
Dear Papa, we had a metal shortage here too before we got a new parochial vicar. Suddenly, the shortage abated and we haven't had an issue since. The parochial vicar must have had connections to the metal business. But to muse as to those connections would be namedropping.
Dear Papa,
I know it's rude but I just couldn't stop laughing! I hope you are feeling better after the dentist appt. you had the other day.
Was this planned to get out of a long boring meeting?
Susan
Linda,
I’m happy to hear your unfortunate situation has been rectified and I commend you for not dropping any names. My dear and humble friend, Cardinal Ruini, considers such discretion an important virtue.
God bless you.
Papa
Susan,
Shhhhh!
God bless you.
Papa
Holy Father,
The curious shortage in precious metals affecting parts of the United States is indeed a very unusual thing. It seems that the problem is that many of the priests of a certain age do not realize that precious metals are generally found in deep and dark places, like say, mines or the cupboards in the sacristy.
Instead, they seem to be under the illusion that precious metals are to be found at their local Pier-One Imports, and when they can't find gold chalaces there the silly things pick up tea cups or class goblets or wooden cups or some such silly thing.
Perhaps an apostolic letter "Looking For Gold In All the Wrong Places" could be issued on this topic. It has happened from time to time that priests who look find that perfectly suitable chalaces are sitting right in their own sacristy cupboards if they only look.
Dearest and most loving Papa, I second DarwinCatholic's request for an apostolic letter (myself, I would go for the encyclical) on the prevalence or lack thereof of metal vessels in the liturgy. Not to mention that you may want to address the number of eucharistic ministers (of which I am one) vis a vis the number of people at Mass. Should it be virtually one on one, or is that an abuse of the extraordinariness of the position? We always look forward to your reply and any namedropping, oops, I probably get penance for that .
DarwinCatholic,
Thank you for your suggestion, but to be honest with you I don’t see how an apostolic letter would yield any more success in halting the metal shortage when liturgical law is crystal clear. Sometimes I wonder if the reason many don’t find the metal chalices is intentional; they want everybody to know that they won’t go into the cupboard or closet, not even for the sake Lord Jesus Christ or His Church.
God bless you.
Papa
Linda,
I addressed the apostolic letter above, and the issue of extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist has been dealt with in like fashion. Unfortunately, something must have been missed in translation along the way. It seems that someone in the USCCB must have accidentally mistranslated the text to read “super-duper-run-of-the-mill-typical-hackneyed-
commonplace-banal-scandalously-overused-ordinary ministers” as opposed to “extra-ordinary ministers.” Thanks for writing.
God bless you.
Papa
Papa,
I have a couple of questions about your new kitchen.
In my kitchen I have a framed picture of you. Do you want one of me for yours?
Is this where you cooked and dined with Hans? Was the oven big enough for the humble pie? Did he eat any?
And have you had any of the We-are-church folk around for a meal? Did they just ask for bread and wine? (and didn't bother cleaning up the crumbs?)
Oh, and I know you're fond of top-notch European appliances (like the Schonborn 3000), but may I suggest one of our own favorites down here - the Aussie George 4-man Grill. The heat and intensity you get is superior to at least four of those wimpish HV-Dissenter'68s you find in many places, and plenty of slick but greasy drips run off when the heat is turned up.
BTW, if you need a good deep fryer may I recommend Fr Groeschel.
Venerable Aussie,
Thank you for writing. To answer your questions:
Yes, I would love to have a picture of you. I even have the perfect place for it too. Please overnight it to:
Papa
c/o Bp. T. Gumbleton,
Detroit, MI
Hans and I had dinner at Castel Gandolfo, and I did not serve him any humble pie, but I suspect my willingness to dine with him had the same effect.
Regarding meeting with We Are Church: In a month’s time I met with a schismatic, an atheist, and a heretic, each of whom, despite their particular shortcomings have something meritorious about them. Can we say the same about We Are Church?
I wouldn’t use any cooker that was marketed on it’s ability to strip from my food what gives it its flavor.
Your comment about Father Groeschel caused me to suffer a loss of beer. Very funny.
God bless you.
Papa
I am so glad to hear that Venerable Aussie has a photo of you in his kitchen. Really, I think every kitchen should have one. Might not providing a link where such photos could be obtained be considered a worthy apostolate?
So glad to hear that you demand flavor from your food. I'd never use a George Foreman grill for just the same reasons you don't. Maybe one day you can muse on those who desecrate cookies and soda and hamburgers by serving "low-fat" versions. If I want to eat sawdust, I'll just eat sawdust.
MomLady,
Thank you for being so gracious to take time out of your busy day to use my forum as a means to promote your enterprise. I am truly humbled.
Please examine the sidebar to confirm that the link is about as subtle as your hint.
God bless you.
Papa
MrsDarwin,
As you know the synod is underway, so I have been terribly busy as of late. Your suggestion has much merit, and when time arises I may very well offer a musing regarding that.
God bless you.
Papa
Papa Ratzi,
this might be dragging the the thread off-target, but I thought "extraordinary" only means that one isn't ordained.
Slainte
Philip,
Thank you for writing. Certainly, in this context the obvious characteristic of extraordinary is the absence of ordination, but we would do well toread the definition of extraordinary:
1. Beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
2. Far more than usual or expected
3. (of an official) serving an unusual or special function in addition to those of the regular officials
God bless you.
Papa
Dearest Papa and Slainte:
Although I may qualify under definition 1 and/or 2 above, I still think I am overused. If there is a priest on the premises, or the congregation might have to wait 5 vs. 3 minutes to receive under both species, what do you think? Am I necessary, as much as I love to serve?
Papa Ratzi,
are you using the english definition or the Latin? I heard the latter was the proper choice in these matters. I don't like to threaten, but don't make me call Levada.
Honestly,
Philip
Linda,
I’m sorry that I can’t answer your question without knowing the actual circumstances, but based on your own words, I think you know the answer.
God bless you.
Papa
Phillip,
Please do call Billy; he’d get a kick out of this. The definition of extraordinary in Latin would probably be best stated as out of order. Order is not limited to being understood as rank or holy orders, etc., but those terms come into play because of the nature of this particular subject. Order can be and often is used in terms of a prescribed form or customary procedure.
There are a number of people (primarily cardinals and bishops with ugly cathedrals) who attempt to justify the frequent use of extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist by making the apology that “extraordinary” refers to the fact that lay distributors of Holy Communion are not ordained ministers. As I stated earlier, not being ordained is a necessary characteristic, however, my friend and predecessor, Pope John Paul the Great made it very clear in the instruction, The Collaboration of the Non-ordained Faithful in the Sacred Ministry of Priest, that the application of the term "extraordinary" refers to the function itself; a function which is supplementary and extraordinary.
As always, thank you for writing and God bless you.
Papa
Your Holiness:
This is what is being reported. Is it true?
Pope's 1st encyclical to appear December 8?
Rome, Oct. 25 (CWNews.com) - The first encyclical letter by Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) will be promulgated on December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, according to reports in the Italian press.
The Vatican has not made any public announcement about a papal encyclical. In July, when Pope Benedict brought two cartons of books to the Alpine chalet in Valle d'Aosta where he spent his summer vacation, there was heavy speculation that he was working on an encyclical. But at the time, papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls downplayed those rumors.
The topic of the Pope's first encyclical has also been a matter of speculation among Vatican-watchers. Some early reports suggested that he was writing about the Eucharist; these reports might have been based on the assumption that the papal letter would be made public before the end of the Year of the Eucharist, which closed on Sunday, October 23. The most recent reports say that the topic will be the central role of Jesus Christ in salvation.
Pope Benedict has indicated that he does not plan to publish many official documents during his pontificate. Prior to his election in April 2005 he was a prolific writer, producing dozens of books and scores of articles for theological journals.
Your Holiness ,
Can you please give me your opinion of rock music? If possible, could you give me the citation and context of your statements on it. (I hear you are not a big fan.... )
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I truly appreciate it very much.
Most gratefully yours,
Meg
Holy Father what is this I hear about you wanting to abolish the teaching of limbo dancing. I think that is just horrible. Many people enjoy limbo dancing especially it seems traditional Catholics as they are the people I see most upset over this rumor.
Dear Papa,
Where are you? I wanted to make sure you got my Christmas list. I don't know if I trust that Georg to give it to you.
In case you didn't, here it is:
1. Any artwork from the Vatican, as long as it's priceless.
2. A Blessed rosary. Not the cheap kind that are passed out to the people . It should be made of jewels so that it doesn't um break. Yes, that sounds logical.
3. A first-class relic from a prominent saint. A big relic, like a finger or toe.
4. The new coins with Papa's face on them. A whole Christmas stocking full would be really appropriate.
5. A plenary indulgence, every night, for saying my prayers.
Did you get all that?
Big hugs and kisses
Scarlette
Oh, and I'm not nice, Scarlette. Not nice at all...
But thanks anyway...!
Jack.
What did I do?!
Papa: Where are you? I mean, we know 'where' you are, but we miss your pithiness. Let us know please.
Cantuar ad Roma
I am of a Reformed and Episcopal background but with much respect for Acquinas, and as well a student of Augustine. I really like the piece on relativism as this has been worked on in the Reformed community and exchange should take place as of mutual concern, particularly with youth. For example, if one were to say that "everything is relative", then this is an emphatic and absolute statement.
The comments are disappearing, Papa.
Please do something about that.
The comments are all gone...how sad.
Thanks for fixing that, Papa.
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Warm Regards from the Other Side of the Moon.
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Kerala, India
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