Encampment Chain Ga. . .Work Crew Needed!

For you local boys:

Next two Saturdays (May 10th and 17th) will be preparation days for the Encampment here at the Griswold Friary. There are still a few things to finish with the challenge course. Any locals who can spare some time please come. Times are 9:30am to 5:00pm. Bring work clothes and potluck meals. God Bless.

Great preparation for the Encampment. See if you can keep up with Father Bonaventure

New Standing Fast

I have been remiss in keeping to the schedule for Standing Fast, but I banged out 5 episodes today. The first one is up, and the rest will come weekly on AirMaria. Here is the blurb for it:

Fr. Angelo is back and vlogging with a vengeance. This episode is on religious chivalry vs secular chivalry. Referring to groups like the Society of Creative Anachronisms which are trying to reintroduce Chivalry with an ethical code not based on religious principles but on secular or even neo-pagan ones, Fr Angelo mentions that this is nothing new. Listen as he points out how western chivalry was uniquely Christian and thus superior to any of the many other forms of Chivalry, especially in regard to the treatment of women which was based on devotion to Mary.

Click on the image to watch.

“Put That Thing Down, Before . . .”

A good Encampment post.

Remember, blades not more than 3 inches long.

Chesterton on knives:

Let me explain a little: Certain things are bad so far as they go, such as pain, and no one, not even a lunatic, calls a tooth-ache good in itself; but a knife which cuts clumsily and with difficulty is called a bad knife, which it certainly is not. It is only not so good as other knives to which men have grown accustomed. A knife is never bad except on such rare occasions as that in which it is neatly and scientifically planted in the middle of one’s back. The coarsest and bluntest knife which ever broke a pencil into pieces instead of sharpening it is a good thing in so far as it is a knife. It would have appeared a miracle in the Stone Age. What we call a bad knife is a good knife not good enough for us.

Chainmail Rosary

It’s been done. I am mortified.

We will have to do better, though I think this one is awesome.

Battle Chic?

“It’s lots of fun. Very, very addictive,” Gardiner said.

Ceramic chain mail art? Hmm. The venerable invention of the ancient armorers is now considered a craft, as in artsy-fartsy kind of craft. To each his own.

I can appreciate the beauty and versatility of the wonder material, strong as steel, yet supple as cloth. So its being put to new uses that are marketable. I guess this one I can appreciate, a t-shirt. Nice.

Come on, Knights and Squires of Lepanto! Lets have some ideas. Lets get the coifs and halburks going.

I’ve been thinking of making a chain mail rosary. Don’t laugh. It will work. You’ll see.

The Night Watch Chronicles II and More Swordplay

Well, Marc has complied, so his court marshal has been canceled. I have posted his continuation of The Nightwatch Chronicles as an update. Actually, I have to thank Marc for his excellent post and for putting up with the ribbing. So read and comment there.

Also, I am not sure if the Longsword post was all that boring, or everyone missed it. Men and boys, I would like your opinions and ideas. Comment there please.

Comments to this post have been appropriately turned off.

Boys Are Not China Dolls

Murmurs in the in the wind have drifted through the windows in Griswold. I understand that some are under the impression that we are planning some kind of torture/work camp for the father-son encampment. This could not be further from the truth. What we are actually planning is to provide, in addition to the many other fun things we do, a grueling challenge course that we call the Crucible.

Before I say more on that, I apologize if I frightened anyone by the “Slingshot” post on September 9th. It was a joke, as I noted at the bottom of the post. I wish some of you would have my number by now.

Most of you know of Doug Barry and his effective way of engaging young people. He has been here before, and the boys had a great time. Doug is full of energy, funny, spot on orthodox and extremely motivating. He pushes the boys to their limits, and they have a fun in the process. Our challenge course was designed and will be run by him.

The father/son encampment is an apostolate of the Knights of Lepanto, and from this event we hope to formalize a committed group of Squires. We encourage all Catholic men and boys to come. No one is expected to become a Knight or Squire of Lepanto; even so, the encampment does bear the charism of the Knights. Perhaps it is not for everyone; however, personally I think our structure and organization is very effective to bring about both top notch formation and fun.

I also want to remind everyone how eager we are to provide a safe, Catholic and friendly environment for Catholic families, both homeschooling and otherwise. This we have done and will continue to do; however, we are not principally here for that. We are here to provide Marian formation to men, women and young people. This we will do. We are looking for believers in what we are doing. We are looking for commitment. We are looking for people to get on board and support what we are doing.

A great deal of prayerful thought has gone into the encampments and everything we are doing with the Knights of Lepanto. Not only the friars have contributed, but also the Knights themselves. For this reason the encampments have been successful, and, please God, will continue to be so.

In any case, the boys will not break by having themselves pushed both spiritually and physically. It is the characteristic of the male sex to take some risks and to find joy in facing and overcoming obstacles. As long as those risks are reasonable and controlled and as long as the obstacles are accompanied by fatherly support, training and encouragement, only good things will come of it.

Mothers, don’t baby your boys. The feminine characteristic of chivalry is to expect the highest standards of men and settle for nothing but that. The encampment is designed exactly for this kind of formation in an age appropriate way.

Here is a video of the boot camp (challenge course) that Doug built on his property in Nebraska. Our course will be virtually the same.

Dangerous Boys

     Blessed José Luis Sánchez del Rio

At our father-son encampment last month during a talk, I asked the young boys who was their hero, the one they admired more than anyone else. (I told them to mention someone other than Jesus). I mostly heard the names of saints that I knew, but one little five year old boy shouted out “Blessed Luis!” I was perplexed at first because I thought he said “Blessed Louise,” but even after his father clarified, I drew a blank. I said “You’ll have to tell me all about him after,” and then went on to finish the talk.

Later on that day, the father and son did give me lowdown on Blessed Luis, and I sure was glad I had asked for the story. Heap awesome.

Blessed José Luis Sánchez del Rio was born in Sahuayo, Mexico on March 28, 1913. When he was 13 the Cristero war broke out. Catholic rebels against the anti-Catholic Masonic government escalated their resistance and took up arms. Blessed José Luis’ two older brothers joined the rebels, but he was held back by his mother.

The boy went to the rebel general, Prudencio Mendoza, and begged for an opportunity to give his life for Christ. In the end the general agreed to let him be flag bearer, and off the youngster went to war.

During one battle, the general’s horse was killed, so Blessed José Luis gave him his horse and then headed for cover, where he fired on the enemy until he ran out of ammunition. He was eventually captured by the government forces, who ordered him to renounce his faith. José Louis remained undeterred.

His captors forced him to witness the execution of one of his fellow Cristeros, thinking that this would frighten him. Instead he exhorted the man to die for Christ, and promised that they would soon meet in heaven.

Unable to break his resolve, the government ordered Blessed José Luis’ execution, and on February 10, 1928 they cut the bottoms of his feet and forced him to walk to a cemetery, all the while tempting him with promises of freedom if he would deny Christ. Through his tears, he refused and continued to walk.

His last words were a shout of “Long live Christ the King!” The government troops fired on him and he fell to the ground mortally wounded. He dipped his hand in his own blood and traced the sign of the Cross on the ground. His enemies fired again, and Blessed José Louis died kissing the cross. He was only 14 years old.

Pope Benedict beatified him on November 20, 2005.

The little five year old boy, who holds Blessed José Luis as his hero, heard the story read to him by his father and he loved it. It is a story of Knights and Dragons. It’s even better than that, because this story is true in the Primary World.

A boy loves danger, even if sometimes he is are afraid of the dark. A boy knows what a real hero is, and if given a chance will become one.

¡Viva Cristo Rey! ¡Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!

Source for biographical information: Wikipedia

Bringing Up Galahad

I will use a bit of Malory for the conferences during the encampment this weekend. The Tale of the Holy Grail, coming toward the end of the work, as it does, after long excursions into the highly defective chivalry of Lancelot, Tristram, et al., showcases the shining character of Galahad in order to drive home the importance of fidelity, honesty and chastity.

Lancelot, Galahad’s father, has a lot to learn, and does, somewhat, during the Quest. Unfortunately, he does not really get the point fully until he has learned the hard way, to his own unremitting sorrow, and at the cost of his king’s life.

We have learned the hard way as well. May we at least now be a consolation to our King.

Galahad is youthful, but outshines his elders. The Siege Perilous is reserved for him, as is the obtainment of the Grail. May fathers learn from the mistakes of their youth, and then teach and sacrifice in the hope that their sons will be greater men than they.

Chivalry Retreat at Encampment

Our Spring Encampment was a kind of introduction into Marian Chivalry. Between the two campfires Friday and Saturday night, the morning conferences on Saturday, the Mass homilies and the little ferverinos here and there, the men and boys got a good dose of the spirit of Lepanto.

This link to AirMaria will take you to a video excerpt of a conference I gave to the boys: An Introduction to Chivalry. Good for both men and boys.