Catholic Ragemonkey

Cyber Altar Call!
By the time a thank you note would arrive in the postal mail, its recipients will no longer be at their home address, so we are offering this post as a thank you to two readers who describe themselves as fans. Alyssa and Ann-Marie are two sisters who are both preparing to leave home to join two different religious orders. They recently sent a surprise gift to your two ragemonkeys which included a nice note and two stuffed monkeys. After some coercion, I finally gave one of the stuffed monkeys to Fr. Tharp. Thank you soon-to-be Sisters for your gift and thank you for your gift of self to seek discernment of the will of Christ. May God bless you both as you seek to follow the vocation that is yours. I am particularly delighted that one of these young ladies is about to join a religious order which my Kindergarten teacher helped found around 1997. I don't want to reveal these ladies' last names nor the religious orders to which they are headed (out of concern for privacy), but suffice it to say that the one of you joining the order founded in 1997 should tell Sr. Mary Samuel that you have read the blog of one of her former Kindergarten students. And, we pray, dear soon-to-be Sisters, that part of your formation will be the permission to again read Catholic Ragemonkey. We understand that you will, for a time, have to leave an e-connection to our blog, but surely a perpetual ban on reading CRM would be most detrimental to the religious charism!

Allow me to also take this opportunity for what may be a first: A Cyber Altar Call! As we thank Alyssa and Ann-Marie, let's hear in the comment box from all readers who think they may be called to, or who are currently pursuing, a religious vocation. While there are many vocations, this is a cyber altar call, so I ask that comments be from those men who are pursuing priesthood and/or religious life and from those women who are pursuing consecrated religious life. If you are able at this time to be specific, tell readers what diocese or order you are planning to join or are considering at this time. And may all CRM readers, in whatever vocation, take the time to pray for those who leave comments. I would also love to see comments from former or current parishioners of mine or Fr. Tharp's. If you fit that category, let us know that too!