One can see why some mourn the coming of St Patrick to Ireland and the foundation of the Roman church on the emerald Isle… And for those with an interest in such matters, here’s a lovely reflection on Irish religion. Read more

Recently I was at an event where the main speaker was a prominent minister in our denomination. He was speaking of various things, but one point particularly caught my attention. He described a trip to Latin America he made with some friends a few years ago. It was to a country that had been torn by civil strife and included revolutionary activities, paramilitaries and much of the deep ugliness of covert war. Our country had dirty hands in the mess,... Read more

Sesshin ended at noon on Sunday. Jan & I stopped and gobbled a sandwich, then started a mad dash to Roxbury and the installation of the new senior minister and executive director of the Benevolent Fraternity of Unitarian Universalist Churches, the UU Urban Ministry, the, near as I can tell, oldest social service agency in the country. The new senior minister is an old Zen hand and a member of our sangha. The installation preacher said how spiritual engagement and... Read more

This afternoon Jan & I are off to sesshin, leaving auntie & the cats in charge of the homestead. This means it is unlikely there will be any additional posts before Sunday evening… In the meantime here’s something to chew on… Nothing Nothing sings in our bodies like breath in a flute. It dwells in the drum. I hear it now that slow beat like when a voice said to the dark, let there be light, let there be ocean and blue fish born of nothing and they were there. I... Read more

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On this day in 1965 James Reeb lay in an Alabama hospital, his life slipping away. Read more

I was driving into church this morning when I heard the most fascinating, compelling and lovely story about the WASPs during the Second World war, women who flew military aircraft in a variety of capacities back here in the States, freeing up men to go into combat. If you have eight minutes and fifty nine seconds to listen to it, I heartily recommend you do. There’s a print text as well. Go here for both. As one might expect if... Read more

A friend just forwarded me a story that recounts how television talking head Glenn Beck decries churches that call for social justice, revealing how such are either covert Communists or Nazis. He really is a nutjob. My ongoing concern is that he appears to have a very large following. I wonder if people believe this stuff and bother, or just find him entertaining in a creepy sort of way. I fear some take him seriously. And what a sad universe... Read more

thank you, Will! Read more

THIS SECOND DAY OF JULY ANNO DOMINI 1722, IN THE EIGHTH YEAR OF THE REIGN OF OUR SOVERIGN LORD GEORGE… Reflections on the History of the First Unitarian Church of Providence Cyrus O’Neil & James Ishmael Ford 7 March 2010 First Unitarian Church Providence, Rhode Island Text This Second Day of July Anno Domini 1722, in the eigth year of the Reign of our Soverign Lord George of Greate Britain etc. King. To all people to whom these presents shall... Read more