One Catholic Deacon's View and Musings on the World
On January 13, 2020 my dear father Paul Swope passed away at the age of 94. Dad was born on a central Kentucky tobacco farm in 1925. He lived through the great depression and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps and later the U.S. Air Force during World War II and the Korean conflict. He married my mother, Helen in 1952 and was not only devoted to her but adored her every day of their marriage Continue reading “Goodbye to a Father”
My homily from Sunday, February 2, 2020 – The Presentation of the Lord is now available at: Deacon Steve’s Homilies. As always, your feedback is welcomed and appreciated.
This article by Audra D.S. Burch, is on the front page of the NY Times today. It is not a completely fair representation of our community. While there were some nativist goofballs who raged against it, the portraits were widely accepted in our community. The article neglects to mention that the night before the bozo Neo-Nazi’s came to town our citizens (black, white, hispanic, asian, and more) all flooded downtown merchants and restaurants with shopping/dining to support them because they would be closed the next day. To be downtown that night was to see a celebration of the diversity, community spirit, and integrity that is a hallmark of my hometown of Newnan. That is just one example of the diverse citizens of Newnan coming together. I posted about this celebration of our community back then: #NotWelcomeHere and the resulting embarrassment of the Neo-Nazi fools #YouCantFixStupid.
A bit more focus in today’s article on the positive race relations in Newnan would have made this article a shining example of what a community can be when it actually honors and respects the dignity of ALL of its citizens. By the way, the people depicted in these portraits are what makes Newnan so wonderful that the population has more than tripled in the 35 years I have lived here. The acceptance of this diversity is what makes our community thrive.
Last weekend I traveled to Ashtead, England to celebrate Andy Storey’s 60th birthday. One might fairly ask why someone living in Newnan, Georgia would venture to England for a birthday party. The answer is quite simple: Friendship.
I first encountered Andy on a conference call in the mid 1980’s when he was working for British Caledonian Airlines and I was a revenue management consultant. We later began working together closely in the early 1990s when Andy migrated to Australia to work for Qantas and I was still consulting. During that time I also met Carissa Rae who was a new Analyst for Qantas. In fact I was her instructor when she came to work in the revenue management department. Continue reading “Friendship”
My homily from Sunday, September 22, 2019 is now available at: Deacon Steve’s Homilies. As always, your feedback is welcomed and appreciated.
I have been asked to conduct a two part session on Christian, specifically Catholic Christian morality. Many people feel that the Catholic Church has an extensive set of rules – the do this and don’t do that list – that governs morality. That is not the case. I will post an audio of the two sessions once they are finished. Below is an overview of what will be covered in the class: Continue reading “Morality – A Complex Matter”
The Stock Market drops – tariffs help that to happen.
About 18 months ago I wrote a piece stating that #NoTariff is Good – They are a Can of Worms. I wrote this prior to any tariffs being implemented on goods imported to our country. My intent was to help with the understanding that a tariff placed by a government is essentially a tax on its own people. It is simple: Continue reading “#NoTariff is Good – Second Time Around”
With the vast number of television outlets to watch and the huge number of shows and specials available, the average person (me) can find it difficult to find a truly remarkable series, but I managed to find one! The Netflix series, Our Planet is well worth checking out. The eight part series premiered in early April. If you care about nature or just this blue marble we call Earth, this will be a treat for you.
Here is the Netflix promo language: “Sir David Attenborough narrates this eight-part series that explores the unique wonders of the natural world. Produced in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund, “Out Planet” uses a combination of stunning photography and technology to present Earth’s remaining wilderness areas and their animal inhabitants. The project took four years to complete, with more than 600 crew members filming in 50 countries across the world to showcase the diversity that exists among habitats, from the remote Arctic wilderness to the jungles of South America.”
Have a look, you will be glad that you did and you will come away smarter.
The first day of the Lenten Mission that I gave at my home parish is available on the Homilies and Talks page. The second two days were not audible and were deleted. Sorry for the delay in posting this!
The Flint River Council of the Boy Scouts will be honoring Dr. Steve Barker, Superintendent of the Coweta County School System and Representative Lynn Smith at this year’s event. Both Rep. Smith and Dr. Barker are very deserving of this honor for their steadfast dedication and efforts to better our community. Please consider attending this year’s dinner on March 19th at the Newnan Centre. As a previous honoree, I can say that the support of the community is incredibly gratifying. I hope to see you there.
