From Pittsburgh: A Cardinal's Cassock, an "Almost Famous" Sandwich, and Some Wise Words from the Ambo

We four returned this afternoon from Pittsburgh, where we toured the University of Pittsburgh campus for an admitted students' day, ate at Primanti Brothers, and attended Mass at the Newman Catholic Center. A few insights:

First, Pitt is a wonderful place. I had to stop myself from buying one of these sweatshirts; our oldest still is mulling his options for college and whether he prefers a large university to a small liberal arts college.

Second, I can handle a Primanti's sandwich. Either my tummy has gotten entirely too large  (a definite possibility) or the portions are not as outrageous as advertised.

Trinity Sunday: "This Is What We are Made For"

We weren't at today's Mass when Father Jeff preached. We went to another Mass at our parish, where another Oratorian preached an inspiring homily. But when Father Jeff posted this homily as a note on his facebook page, I knew I wanted this homily to have a wider audience. 

Guest Post by Fr. Jeff Calia, C.O.  

It’s nice, to finally have an opportunity to preach on Trinity Sunday! Two years ago, my own first Mass fell on this feast day, and my Oratorian superior preached (that’s also the reason I’m wearing this vestment). Last year on Trinity Sunday, I found myself celebrating Mass in the media room of a racetrack in Milwaukee, where I was serving as Catholic chaplain for the IndyCar Series for the weekend. I had about a half-hour window between drivers’ meetings, and I was so nervous about the time limit that I celebrated the entire Mass in 19 minutes, including a 3-sentence homily!