Mimetic Desert Monastics, Apostles, & Other Creatures

Tomorrow, I start out for this year's COV&R Conference at Cedar Falls, IA. For those who are going, and I hope there are many of you, be sure to be there in time for the panel discussion of Wolfgang Palaver's new book René Girard's Mimetic Theory as it will be discussed by a MOST distinguished panel.

It has been a while since I gave you an update on my blog Imaginary Visions of True Peace so I have some updating to do.

Dispossessing a Town Possessed is based on a sermon on this most Girardian of NT texts.

I didn't preach for Saints Peter & Paul but I re-worked an earlier article on the feast called Peter & Paul: The Church's Quest for Mimetic Unity

Being a native-born US citizen, I thought I would share a few thoughts on our national holiday called On Being Interdependent on Independence Day.

This brings me back to the COV&R conference coming up. I will be presenting a paper Desert Monastics as Hidden Models. Those of you who are coming can hear it live & discuss it. For those who aren't coming or  are going to one of many other good presentations can read it on my blog.

St. Benedict's day is coming up. I will miss being at the abbey, but it turns out that James Alison is celebrating the anniversary of his ordination on the day & I will be preaching. My sermon is An Extraordinarily Ordinary Saint.

On a sadder note, I will pass on the news for those who may not have heard: Bob Hammerton-Kelly suffered a severe stroke last week. Yesterday, when it became clear he wasn't coming back, the family took him off to life support and played a Mozart aria while he passed on.

Hope to see you in Iowa.