A Saintly Salmagundi

Fr. Sibley,

Thank you for all the great work that you have done. You have helped me in ways that you cannot imagine. Good luck on your other projects, and God bless you.

Fr. Sibley,

Will the archives still be available for a while longer? I haven't made my way through some of the earlier stuff.

Those are all excellent reasons, Fr. Bryce. I will miss the humor, your reflections and your musical recommendations. I can't tell you how many items I've forwarded to friends and family, and I'm usually against doing that.

Will there be a way to keep tabs on what you're writing since you won't be working them out on the blog? Will the Cafe Press shop stay active? It would be nice to keep some Web presence for if/when your TOB book comes out, for example.

God bless you in your endeavors, Fr. Bryce. Thanks for using your blog for the New Evangelization. And rock on.

Bill

Sorry to see you go, I only just discovered this site a few weeks ago. At least we'll always have the archives. I'll be looking forward to your book.

We will miss you! It was great while it lasted (better than a sitcom, for sure!).

Father, thank you for posting all this time. It will really stink not having this to look to. Good luck with everything! I am sure your book will help many. Hey, maybe someday you can start blogging again when your settled :-D

(At least I hope)

Sincerely,
Philip

How sad? Now where will I get all the weird stuff I find here? But, good luck; and will try remembering you (and the projects) in my prayers.

Sincerely,
Alex

Thanks for the laughs!
Keep up the good priestly ministry!

Sorry to see you go. With prayers.

As a former blogger myself and now a frequent reader, I realize that simply reading blogs on a regular basis, as good as they can be (and this one has been exemplary) can also keep one from being productive in other, important areas in one's life.

Speaking of that, its time for me to get back to writing a book review that an editor has asked for... :-)

Aw! I will miss Eucharistic Reflection # 32, and 33, and 34, 35, 36. . . . . I took all the ER's that you had so far posted, to the Vigil with the Blessed Sacrament, which started on the night of Maundy Thursday and continued through Good Friday noon service, reading one every so often. I believe they were responsible for one of the most moving Vigils. I will treasure them all. . .

Thanks, Father, for some excellent Catholic Theology & a good time, not necessarily in that order!! JS

Father,
I too will miss your take on the strange world we live in but I also understand your decision to concentrate on that which is more important and uplifting.
I too will miss the Eucharistic Reflections and other spiritual comments you have posted.
Best of wishes and prayers to you.
Kent

Fr. Sibley,

It was through your blog that I learned what a blog is at all! That said, I dare say that the readings and keeping up on blogs (even if one does not maintain his own) is a time-consuming chore and can be perhaps a snare to lead one away from more important opportunities for exercising one's ministry. Thank you for your thoughtful and intriguing blog. May God be with you, especially in your efforts to evangelize through the Theology of the Body.

Peace

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Father, I'm saddened by your departure. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad for your projects and I understand your reasons, but I really enjoyed my daily visit to A Saintly Salmagundi. Poor fools like myself who try to be funny on their respective blogs are able to find true wit nestled in with the insightful writings blogged here. You shall be a hard act to follow.

All our base are belong to Fr. Sibley.
Take off every ZIG.

Dear father Sibley,

I have been a faithful reader of your blog every since I found "A Saintly Salmagundi" a year ago. I checked your homepage at least twice a day and really enjoyed all the things you presented to your fellow readers. Your blog made me laugh and made me cry, it made me contemplative and it made me reflective, but most of all it inspired me.
I understand your decision and I believe that you have a lot of other fruitful and salutary projects for the futur. That's why I see you leaving with mixed feelings. Thank you so much for all the good work you have been doing here. May God bless you for your service on this blog, which was a service on the everyday's life of your readers from all over the world.
I whish you all the best for the future, for your projects and for you great service in God and on his people.
It's strange that it's hard for me to say goodbye to someone I never met. But during the time of reading your blog, I felt really aligned with you. You inspired me for my own way, which will hopefully lead me to the priesthood one day. I will include you in my prayers. May God always bless you!
Good bye,
Marc from Germany

You forgot:

"4. I made so much money from selling stuff at my CafePress Shop for my retirement fund. Now I don't need a blog. There is a sucker born every minute."

Just kidding. I wish you many blessings. You have a great sense of humor. Not bad for a guy from the NAC.

Good for you. Ecce Sacerdos Magnus!

Just keep the shop open so I can buy a few more aprons.

Thank you for all the joy and humor you have brought us via your blog.

I will certainly miss your blog, but our loss is your parishes' gain.

Dear & Glorious Blogger,

Ave atque vale. You leave a gaping hole at the center of entertaining, orthodox Catholic bloggery. May you return to your public someday doing something that inspires you as much as the Salmagundi once did.

Otherwise, we'll see you when you get your miter and crosier...

Bill Walsh
Pugnator Maximus
Hieronymite Fight Club
Et Alii

This has been one of my favorite blogs, Fr. Your humor will be missed.

What! Quitting your blog to write a book! Outrageous!

Oh. Wait....

Seriously, thanks for a fun blog! May God bless your work in the Vineyard!

Thanks for everything Father-

Farewell.

Father,
Amen to all that's been written above. I use up a great deal of time reading your blogs and others; I can't imagine how much time it actually takes to run one! Tie that together with parish work, and your desire to write a book, and there just aren't enough hours in the day! Nevertheless, I will miss you & will enjoy reading the archives... God bless you, and best of luck with your literary efforts. Take care; you'll be in my prayers.

Thank you, Father!

Your blog has been wonderful! Sorry to see it go, but I'm sure that the Holy Spirit will call you to still greater things as you try to teach this culture to laugh its way back to sanity.

Our Lord could tell jokes,
That bridged back through dark years to
The bright days of Eden.

Vale.

May the good Lord bless and keep you (far away from snarkers).

Thanks, Father, for keeping us sane with your good humor. Will you continue to make your homilies available online?

Well, I guess all good things must come to an end...except, of course, heaven. That means we'll all have to wait for that...when the real Saintly Salmagundi begins his eternal blogs.

In hope, all in hope...

Don't anybody be melancholy...every day Fr. Sibley has the great privilege of bringing Jesus into the world in order to give Him to His faithful people...now that's better than any blog...

Thanks for all your efforts over the years. You will be missed.

I am deeply saddened by this... I discovered your blog over a year ago, and checked it at least twice a day. I always looked forward to your posts... But it has been a funny and enlightening ride, and I sincerely thank you for giving all of your faithful readers a chuckle and something to reflect upon.

Anyway, I wish you the best with your book, we will miss you!

Also... will you please continue to make your homilies available online?

God bless!!!

Thank you, Father, for all the great postings. As Robert Frost says, "nothing gold can stay." I don't suppose you'd consider a mailing list to send out worthwhile thoughts or info from time to time? I've really appreciated your blog and will miss it, but I totally understand your decision to devote your time to things that are more important now. Thanks also for the blessing. Vaya con Dios, Father.

Father,

I knew I liked you the moment your Mary, Exterminatrix of Heresies image loaded. Though I am fairly new to your blog, I will miss it nonetheless. Perhaps you can say a Mass for those of us who aren’t wise enough to make the same decision about blogging. ;) God bless you.

Well, this sucks eggs.

completely understandable. and a complete gol-durn shame.

Godspeed Fr. Bryce! If this Texan ever makes it over to your neck of the bayou, well....why would any Texan be in LA!? Just kidding, the music, the food, and the people are all honorary Texans. I enjoyed the blog, and will miss it, yet I know this is probably for the best!

Pax Christi

Gee, now what am I going to read while at work? Reading the Anglican blogs has gotten positively dreary...save the Pontificator, who'll be switching over to your priestly brotherhood, God willing, sooner than later.

All I do have to say is this: You better be keeping your CafePress™ store open. I still need to buy one of those aprons. My parish is in -Spong's old territory. We've got plenty of heretics to BBQ up. Yee haw!

God bless you for your ministry, and for your enlightened (and hysterical) blogging. Launch "book" for great justice.

Pax et bonum...

-j (jjostm.livejournal.com)

Father,

Thanks so much!

God bless you, Father Sibley.

I have immensely enjoyed your blog over the last year or so, its great articles and the many fine comments from your readers. I shall miss you and them greatly. That said, you are right to end this now. There is a season for everything.

No! It's not possible!

Oh well... we'll await your return whenever the next big Internet thing for personal publishing arrives!

Thanks for the laughs and the bonhomie!

Fr, Sibley,

I subscribed to your blog just a few weeks ago and I am terribly sorry to see you go. I am all the way out in California and I hope you do have a change of heart. I enjoyed reading why men hate church.

I am making my way back and all your help was greatly appreciated. I hope to see you back online.

Pete

Father:
Your blog, in my opinion, is/was one of the best Catholic blogs around. Alas, we are like sheep without a shepherd. Best wishes in all your endeavours in the garden of the Lord.

Omnia optima,
Papaefidelis

Good luck on the book -- looking forward to it...

Good luck on the book -- looking forward to it...

I'm sorry to see you go, Father, as I only recently discovered your blog.
Thanks for all you've done here!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYY??????????????!!!!!!!!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay... enough of my ranting!! (grin) Anywayz, thanks for making us laugh Fr. Sibley!!! You definitely brought some sanity in my insane life!! God Bless ya! :)

Well, friend, I've only been reading your blog for about a year and I must say I've found it enjoyable. I hope God blesses you and our Mother watches over you in your new pursuits.

Fr. Sibley,

We'll miss ya around the blogosphere, it's one less blog to catch up on with my morning coffee.

I'm sure God has lots of great work in store for you though, and may I remind you that as a tiny part of those works, I do count on your prayers for my vocation.

Peace,
Seeker

Don Bryce, che peccato!

I hope Fr. Tucker isn't next -- what a great antidote the two of you have been to the terrible press our priesthood has gotten the last several years.

But I have to say I suspected something was up when you posted the picture with the two babies. Kinder and gentler Fr. Sibley.

'Benedicat te Omnipotens Deus', and may we be addressing you someday as 'Eccellenza'.

All the best, Father! You and many of the other fine, intelligent, and occasionally outrageously funny priests in blogland have been a wonderful inspiration to me. On days when the Internet and the MSM were full of scandals and disaster, I would always say to myself, "But remember, Mary Jane, there are people like Fr. Sibley - and he's in Louisiana, for Heaven's sake. Maybe God will send someone like that to this part of Florida if we all pray real hard."

It's been a great run - and you're smart enough to know when to close the show. Godspeed.
Mary Jane

Thank you Father.

Ciao Padre and thanks for inspiring your many faithful readers! We'll be keeping you in our prayers...

http://angrytwins.blogspot.com/2005/05/fr-sibleys-gone.html

Yours was one of my favorite blogs. I will greatly miss it but understand why you are choosing to shut it down. Thanks for all your great work.

Ciao!

Father, I am greatly saddened to hear about your departure. I knew I could always count on you for a good laugh or spiritual inspiration. But I pray God has better things in store for you. You are in my prayers.

I always enjoyed reading your blog every week, and I will greatly miss it.

Good luck with everything you are planning to work on, though, I doubt this is the last we will hear of you :D.

+J.M.J+

For some strange reason, when I read that you are going to stop blogging, the song "Another One Bites the Dust" started running through my head. Odd; I don't think about that song too often. But I think it popped into my head because I'm beginning to wonder whether (at the rate we're going) there will be any good Catholic blogs left in a year or two. I mean, a few really good ones have gone dormant or disappeared in just the past year.

Yet, I'm sure this is the right decision for you. Ditto to everything nice everyone wrote above; I really can't add to their effusive, kind sentiments about this blog - which I checked daily. God be with you, Father, and I also look forward to your book.

In Jesu et Maria,

Fr. Sibley,

We will certainly miss you! Thank you for your contribution to the blogging world! We'll miss you. Please keep us in your prayers, you'll be in ours.

Love,

Lauren

So long.....and thanks for all the fish.

Dear Fr. Brice,

I just started reading your blog a few weeks ago. Thank you for what you have done. I'll pray for you.

Amy

Dear Fr. Brice,

I just started reading your blog a few weeks ago. Thank you for what you have done. I'll pray for you.

Amy

Dear Fr. Brice,

I just started reading your blog a few weeks ago. Thank you for what you have done. I'll pray for you.

Amy

This is sad. Anyways, thanks for the good run, Father. May we see you in the public eye again soon, even if it isn't here.

[bewildered voice]No! One of my Catholic blog reads goes! I'm just getting started into this realm from the secular and pagan realm, and then it's swiped out from under me![/bewildered voice]

Thanks Fr, for links, laughs, and love.

Your blog has been a great service to me personally and to many others no doubt. I was amazed at the breadth and scope of the articles you researched as well as the personal items you posted. Thank you once again! God bless you and I'll keep an eye on Amazon.com for your book!

Another shining star gone from the blogosphere...
It's been great, Father. I'll miss my dose of the strange and the wonderful.

Thanks for the laughs and for fighting the good fight, padre. May God continue to bless you always.

Thank you! I will miss your homilies & Eucharist reflections.

Congratulations, Fr. Bryce! I'll look forward to your ongoing work.

Someday we'll call you the Priest of All Media.

Thanks and Good Luck!

Dear Fr. Bryce,

May the Holy Spirit guide you and may Our Lady be your daily companion in all your spiritual endeavors.

Thank you for your last Eucharistic Reflection #3. It affirmed my own reflection in my blog.

God bless you.

P.S. We look forward to your book!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When Joe Dimaggio announced his retirement from the Yankees, one New York paper ran the headline, "Say it ain't so"

Thank-you for a wonderful blog!

I shoulda known you of all people in St. Blog's would be conscious of jumping the shark. May St. Marshall McLuhan, a good media-guru Catholic, guide your future endeavors!

Fr. Bryce I'm sorry to see it end but I understand
we priests need to evaluate and respond to the promtings of the Holy Spirit. I confess that I will miss your blog. Keep in touch.

God Bless

Dear Fr. Sibley,
Thanks for everything.

Yours in the love of Christ,
Jennifer

Father, I will greatly miss both your theology and your humor. Thank you for giving us this blog for as long as you have, and God bless you in your new endeavors.

PS-You definitely quit before you jumped the shark! Just in case you were wondering.

"There was much weeping among them all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, grieving especially because of what he had said, that they would not see him again." [Acts 20:37,38.]

As we embrace you Father Bryce. May Mary, Ever Virgin,Mother of God keep you always under her Mantle.

Thanks for everything. There will now be a gap in my daily blog reading.

All the best for your future work in the Vinyard of the Lord.

Thank you Fr Bryce for your excellent 'blog and may God continue to bless you and your works.

Oh, doggone it......

It's been a hoot to follow your blog, Father. I caught you right before your first, ahem, sabbatical, so I've been popping in for quite a while.

God bless you and stay forever faithful!

I will miss your commentary--- you have given me many smiles as well as moments of deep thought. God bless you as you move on to new things. I will look forward to reading your book when it is completed. You have been a ray of hope for many of us in places where there are too few "lights" like you. May our dear Lord and his sweet Mother hold you ever near!

=(
has been a great joy reading your posts, thank you for sharing them with us. God bless you on the future works and book(s), I'll look forward into them.

Thanks for getting the Not So Quiet Catholic Corner off the ground...you can always send items to the Corner and I would be happy to post them!
You retired in style with tons of blog awards!!!
Ad Multos Annos!

Thanks for getting the Not So Quiet Catholic Corner off the ground...you can always send items to the Corner and I would be happy to post them!
You retired in style with tons of blog awards!!!
Ad Multos Annos!

Father- thanks for the laffs. Thanks for the weirdness. Thanks for the anti-pope updates. Thanks for inspiring, aggravating,, and uplifting me on a continuous basis. May the Spirit continue to lavish His wisdom, guidance and strength on you for length of days. Ad Multos Annos.

Father,
I wish you all the best and will miss your updates. I hope The Spirit guides you back to blogging. I do have one request. If possible, please evangalize your fellow priests on the benefits of blogging. Blogging opens a window (and dialog) between the faithful and the clergy that is otherwise impossible. Keep the (blogging) faith.

I'll miss your presence here, but be gladdened knowing your work goes on in the places to which you sense God calling you.

Doug

Fr. Sibley and readers,
Compared to many in here I am a new reader. It has only been a year or so, but this quickly became my favorite site to visit during the day. It is often times the only site I visit on weekends because I never want to fall behind on the news or updates from Fr. Sibley.
I will miss your postings, your humor, your insight into the church. I will miss the learning - this is where I learned what POD means! :)
I will also miss you other readers who came here with the same ideology I have. We came here to gather to discuss something greater than ourselves, and to talk to each other. We have many talented, holy, intelligent people who commented here!
Any way you can add some of us to a distro list for occassional emails? :)
God Bless you Father, and all my compatriots! Please stay in touch.

Dominus vobiscum!
Benjamin Harris
genesius21@adelphia.net

Oh rats! Thank you Father for your wonderful blog. May the Good Lord continue to bless you in all that you do.

I never posted much here, but I'll miss reading. Thanks for your efforts, and God bless your new endeavors.

ciao

This blog was responsible for producing many good things. Extremely good things. "Saintly", even. And for those I will be always grateful.

Fr Sybly, you helped usher me into the Church and there just aren't the right words to thank you, in any language.

While you may be absent from the blogosphere you will remain in my prayers (as long as my memory permits).
Thanks for everything --
Gretchen

Ciao Don Sibley!

Maybe you can include a phototour of St. Peter's based on the TotB in your book...

Father,
Thanks for all the work you put into your blog. It was a favorite, and I'll miss it.
Good bless you in your future projects and in your ministry.
Bill

Father Sistare brings up a good point. We may have a chance to win some blog awards. On the other hand, you have set the standard very high for the rest of the priestly bloggers. Darn!!

What would Father Scott Buchanan say?
He would probably agree with your decision but with an eye to another incarnation of this "bulletin board" sooner or later.
I will miss this wonderful place.

Hasta la vista, baby.

I will always treasure my Mary EOH coffee mug.

Thank you so much for your blog, but I do understand why.

My prayers go with you.

Dear Reverend Father,

I will greatly miss your postings. But like all good priests, you are the type of priest that leaves a lasting effect on the souls you touch. I have rarely responded to the blog but have always followed it. May God bless you in all your future missions. You are truley a priests priest and an example for all. Thank you for all your works, but most of all thank you for answering the call to the pristhood. We need more like you.

Vivat Jesus!

Ciao amico. This is the first thing I check every morning when I turn on my computer. To think it all started at the 4th convent bulletin board. Here it ends.

I second Andrew of the Whapping's sentiments. :(

:(

Will miss you...

(Don't forget your fans in Chicago...look us up if you get up north!)

best wishes and thanks.

Thanks, Father. I'll check back every so often just in case.

Father, thank you for all the laughs and all the good devotional readings. I look forward to the book. St. Blog's will miss you, but, to echo Ed, I'll keep you on my RSS feed just in case . . .
God bless you always, and don't be afraid to be POD! :^)

Well Padre,

I have to say I enjoyed reading everything you posted. I kind of have an advantage over most of the readers here, and that being I know you in Real life, and I have known you for a while (remember playing Playstation in my office at St. Anthony's) By reading your blogs I have come to appreciate your wisdom, and well as your sad devotion to that ancient religion of yours...that hasnt give you clar...oh wait that was from Star Wars lol... I will miss your blogs and your nuggets of wisdom... I guess I will just have to jump into my exploder and drive to where you are for mass. I am looking forward to your book, and I am also looking forward to our next meeting (remember you are performing our wedding...right lol)

Ray

Thanks, father for your good humor, strong theology, and beautiful spririt.

I hope we will continue to hear from you in other venues.

Tonight a Rosary will be said in your honor. Maybe even two!

God Bless you and keep you all the days of your life.

One less Catholic blog means I'm another step closer to getting up from the computer and cleaning my house!

We'll miss you, Father!! Thanks for the memories.

My whole horizon just got a few degrees darker. God keep you safe and prosper your work.

Goodbye (no, let's just make it auf Wiedersehen), and God bless you. I will miss you.

Goodbye, and thanks for all the fish.

There is going to be a BIG hole that you used to fill here. This is a very sad day. I'm saying dittoes to Clives post below - couldn't be better said.

"There was much weeping among them all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, grieving especially because of what he had said, that they would not see him again." [Acts 20:37,38.]

As we embrace you Father Bryce. May Mary, Ever Virgin,Mother of God keep you always under her Mantle.
Posted by Clive at May 25, 2005

May our dear Lord greatly bless you now and always,

This is terrible news for me (Selfish, I know) I just found this wonderful blog!

I love reading your, and other priest's blogs. It gives me such hope for the future!

May God bless you, Fr. Bryce, in your future endeavors.

I have enjoyed St. Salmagundi. You are setting a good example to your readers by showing you know when to hang up a good thing. Thankyou and God Bless you always.

I'm going to be lurking in your archives for the foreseeable future. Thanks for keeping them up. Please keep your homilies online--they really keep me going!
And thank you, Father, for the enjoyable (sometimes hilarious) and inspiring words and pictures. We'll all miss your daily presence. You've been part of our lives. I'll pray for you and for the good you'll continue to do. Please pray for all of us as we blunder through this vale of tears. God bless you.

Going cold turkey? Let us know how withdrawal goes. Well, I'll definitely have more time for.. um.... something now.
Prayerful best wishes for your ministry.

Father - I think you're doing what many of us think about often. This blogging thing seems to take on a life of its own.

In any event - visting *your* blog has been fruitful many more times than not.

May God bless you, your ministry, and all those you hold dear in your heart!

This is been a great blog for me, an evangelical protestant. I have enjoyed the biblical standards you have upheld and keen insights. No idea where I will get some good Catholic info.

God bless you, Father. I always found your comments to be a breath of fresh air (and I loved seeing you in your traditional vestments!).

May the Blessed Mother guide and protect you in all you do.

Ciao fratello! I too remember your humble beginnings in 4th convent bulletin board!!! Those were the days...Peace and best wishes with the JP2 book...

This is very very sad.

You have inspired us with thoughts before bedtime especially the Eucharistic reflections.

God Bless you Father. I've come back to this blog 3 times today out of habit. I'll be waiting to read your book from now on.

Huge loss. No more first coffee with the Salmagundi.

Thanks for being a priestly role model. We'll miss your humor and insights.

We will miss your blog, Father Sibley. I have learned much from your articles and the comments here. Thank you.

Fr. Sibley,

thanks for the wisdom and the humour, and I wish you continued success!

MRL

I always tuned in for the links to the bizarre websites you'd find. For that I give you props.

But I am happy that your uncharitable attitude and the even more unpleasant comments of your followers in these comment boxes will be gone.

I'm sure in real life you're a very nice, very holy, very spiritual man. I'm sure that in real life your followers/commentors are as well.

May God bless you and may you prosper in your work to spread the Good News.

I'm sorry for the harsh sounding goodbye in that post above. Sometimes you just made me so mad.
But, I suppose that's part of spreading the Gospel. It sometimes makes people so mad.

I will always think of you (as I always do now) when I see one of those PODs storage containers in someone's driveway.

Again, God bless you and God bless all of the people who comment on this blog regularly and occasionally. May you all love the Lord with your whole heart, mind and soul and your neighbor as yourself.

Amen. Amen.

God Bless, Father.

wow. this is sudden to us readers, though it may have been fermenting in your mind for some time.

You Will Be Missed. Yet sometimes we have to get off our chair and stop interpreting the world from a blog and to go into action in other ways for Christ. Your decision is the right one then.

Even irreligious people see this:

"The Philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways, the point is to change it." Karl Marx.

While others have the comfort of perusing through your archives, I believe I have the better part. You know, the proof. The Scientology thing. (The icture-pay with enu-Xay. I DO have a cop....AAACK!! *choke*....
urrrgh!!

gasp...gggrrrgg...

KH - The Scientology thing was my absolute favorite. I knew those Scientologists were just biding their time, waiting for the right moment to strike . . . Catching Father and his devoted followers off-guard while they mourn the loss of the blog. Will the young priest who knows the Christ film so well be able to resist Xenu's trap? Will his faithful followers be able to withstand Xenu's power and keep the thetans from stealing the proof . . .

Alas, we will never know . . . .

Darn it! Thanks anyway, Father, for publishing some of my crapola about the Mariavites two years ago anyway. Good luck to you.

KH, you are awesome.

I keep coming here, simply out of habit, but each time I see the number of comments has gone up my heart leaps with joy that there is something new to view. Let's keep Saintly Salmagundi alive by continuing to post comments on this last blog submission. WOOHOO!

Kay, Benjamin: I would answer you guys, but I'm dead now.

We could always refuse to leave (stage a blog-in?) until he throws us out.

Dear Fr.,
Thank you so much for guiding, teaching, and uplifting all of us. I feel sorry for us but so happy for you and your parishioners. May Our Blessed Mother keep you protected always. I'll have to check in with those totally POD Sister Servants to see how you are doing.
I really hate to see you leave. = (
God's Speed,
+JMJ+
Kathy

Father, your blog will be missed. But good luck with your book and other projects. God speed!

Wishing you the best of luck, Father. Keep up the good fight!

Sorry to see you go. You did a great job on the blog!

You will be missed. Where else are we going to find an orthodox Catholic priest who gives us a proper take on the culture, and does it with a sense of humor? There are not enough priests like you around.

Nevertheless, best wishes on your future endeavors, and thanks for the time you spent here in St. Blogs.

Does this mean we won't be reading all those books of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger? or discussing them, even?

A BLOG-IN!!! Great idea KH! I'm chaining myself to the comments box immediately!

Father,

Why not just disable comments as have other bloggers for the reasons you cited? I know the Not So Quiet Catholic Corner shut down comments because a few people kept posting inappropriate material which a busy priest doesn't have time to sort through and delete on a daily basis. Comments tend to be too entertaining and controversial and often feature the same people who keep repeating themselves or they make odd statements just to draw attention. The Vatican's website and EWTN's don't have comments so why should bloggers especially which it comes to posts concerning faith and morals which, to the Church, are two areas not open to opinionated, stupid comments?

But then I understand why you would stop blogging altogether being that you are priest who may see blogging as a distraction to living a spiritual life that is consistent and in union with the things of Heaven.

HECK NO, WE WON'T GO! HECK NO, WE WON'T GO!

Fr. Pecoraro and I were thinking about starting a blog here in Memphis and with you leaving that leaves a big hole in the world of priestly nuttiness that we would surely fall into; but now he has been appointed pastor at two parishes up in the wilderness and I still don't have enough time to even play my X-Box game... so I'll just have to reserve myself to nutty comments on the Ragemonkey, the Whapping Shrine, and Fr. Jim Tucker's theological dartboard.
I'm going down to Texas in October... I'll be sure to pass through the Atchafalaya Basin to edit your book and share some Abita!

"ATTICA!! ATTICA!! ATTICA!!..."

Tibi et Deo gratios pro diarium mundireticulare!

God bless you, Father!

I'm very sorry that you'll stop blogging, Father. But I wish you all the best and God bless!

Hope you don't mind that I still come here to use your links.

Goodbye and good luck. Keep warm and well fed. I can't say I'll miss you. But I do wish you well.

It's snotty, backbiting comments like yours that have caused the end of so uplifting and inspiring a blog. Congratulations for having a complete lack of tact and the presumption that people wished to hear your opinion on the end of this blog.

Fr. Bryce--Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!

Your blogs will be sorely missed, Fr. God bless you on your projects. I for one am looking forward to see your future publications. And THANK YOU for all the great work here that had often inspired, entertained and provoked careful reflection.

As a fan fan of your blog i am disapointed for selfhish reasons. But i am also disapointed in you. You seem to have left the field of battle because things got heated. What do you suppose the Saint Louis de Montfort would be doing? He would blog AGGRESIVLY, opinions and feelings be damned. You have deprived the world of your voice, who has won here as a result/

Although we are all disappointed by the loss of the blog, or I daresay we wouldn't still be coming to read the comments, I think it seems time to point out that ALL of us have voices that God wants us to use for his greater glory.

John the Baptist was the great voice crying out in the wilderness, and yet even after he was, um, rather violently silenced (Hey, at least Father wasn't beheaded!) God's message continued to spread. Perhaps you could see this as an opportunity to make YOUR vocie be heard.

I don't see that Father left the field of battle because of the heat. He seemed to relish a good theological discussion - but because the rules of engagement seemed to have been abandoned by an increasing number of visitors. One need only scroll up a few comments for this to become self evident.

For those of you who need practice getting your voice, consider going back to Eucharistic Reflection 31 and weighing in on the discussion of perceiving the reality of Our Lord's presence in the person of the Pope. God Bless!

What will I do every morning before I go to work.
My routine was to go to your site and read your latest posting, and think about it during the day. Thanks Fr. Sibley. I am one of the lucky few
of your fans. I live about 1(one) mile from you
and attend sunday morning mass @ 7 am and hear you in person. You just can't beat that! THANKS

I go out of town for a week and see what happens!

I have enjoyed your blog immensely. Thank you, and may God bless you and your ministry.

It just doesn't seem right. This is an award winning blog with a very large following! It won a few awards in the 2005 Catholic blog awards and is growing by the second. I agree with one commenter who suggested that if disruptive commenters was one reason why Fr. Sibley lost interest, then why not just shut down comments instead of the entire blog? And why not just form a management team with you as its head instead of leaving the blog?

I wouldn't complain too much about people who leave comments that are disruptive or impolite. If you're going to post certain topics that are controversial then you are surely going to draw people from various groups of thinking whether they be faithful or heretical or ignorant.

I see the dissenters have taken their toll. I would have tired of some of their stupidity long ago. Thanks for fighting the good fight for so long. I look forward to seeing the results of your new projects. Good luck and God Bless.

Bryce Todd,

Fr. Sibley's voice is alive and well in the world. While it's doubtful that his blog actually changed any hearts, it's a sure thing that his homilies and books have and will.

The field of battle was never on the postings and links of A Saintly Salmagundi. There is a much more beyond these comment boxes.

JA: Don't ever suspect to do the planning for the Holy Spirit. Why couldn't he use Fr. Sibley's blog? Don't be too definitive..

My point, Man (Da), is that we cannot pretend that Father has "left the field of battle" because he is not blogging.

P1
Father is still on the field of battle.

P2
Father is not blogging.

C
The blog is not the field of battle.

I was stating that Father's work continues beyond the blog, not that the blog wasn't a legitimate outlet of his work.

I will miss the blog! Fr. Pecoraro and Fr. Mike, I always enjoy chatting with y'all and you always make me laugh. A Memphis blog from y'all would be a treat indeed! Mongo.

[I've deleted this mean-spirited comment, posted by a poor soul without the guts to give a real handle or a real e-mail address. --RC]

"From a man who wears a dress?" What the heck kind of comment is that? That usually comes from stupid people who are clueless when it comes to Church theology, discipline or customs.

Fr. Sibley is known to be in union with Catholic tradition in regard to faith and morals and, as far as I can tell, he is liturgically correct. But you seem to like people who are heretics and you feel that they have a right to voice their dissent in the Church and how dare Fr. Sibley come along and throw a road block in their way! God forbid if a priest should ever confront heresy!

No, heretics have no such right to taint the Church with their demonically influenced agenda. They claim they are in line with the Gospel and quote from the Gospel while saying that "everyone has their own interpretation" thus they try to hide behind their heresy knowing full well that it is the Church that has the sole right to interpret and proclaim the Gospel and anyone else who attempts to interpret and proclaim the Gospel outside of what the Church has taught is a heretic as Saint Paul had declared and, much later, Saint Thomas Aquinas.

I'll miss you Father. You are 1 in a trillion.

Merci. Thanks Father.

I still haven't found an alternative - anyone got any suggestions?

Hey, Fr. Sibley!

The riverboat priestesses are coming back....

Anselmus,

There are plenty of alternatives listed under "Catholic Blogs" on this site. Time to give others a chance.

Wish you well, but once in a while you might just want to make an exception and send something out . . . .

God Bless you Father! I loved your blog and I read some of your reasons why you say you stopped blogging but, to me, something seems fishy about this.

Not so long as we don't carp about it.

"Not so long as we don't carp about it." Carp? That's funny since "carp" is a species of fish! I suppose "no pun intended" was meant to follow?

I don't know about yall, but every time I look and they have new comments posted, I get excited! Come back Father Sibley!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good riddance, Bryce.

miss you, padre B.

Whoa, a new layout! Cool... wahhh, I miss you Padre, come back, even if it's only once a week!! *sobs*

Installing a new layout - is this the action of a man tired of blogging? When a man is tired of blogging he is tired of life!

Hmmmmm, James makes a point. And these words just came to my mind: "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in"--Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in, my least favorite Godfather film, Godfather III.

Yo, Padre, come back!

Relax everyone, the new layout is just RC converting everyone on the stblogs.org domain to Movable Type 3.0 As much as I miss Father's blog, I don't think he's coming back!

New comments... I got all excited for a minute.

I sure am glad to find out about these nuns whose ministry extends to giving body massages to parishioners who feel a need for relaxation of those tensions we all feel building up in us as a result of the stressful lives we lead. I understand there are nuns also who are trained (the younger ones of course) in liturgical dancing, who flit in an around the altar during mass wearing light gauzy wraps, draped (but not fastened) to shoulders, waist and thighs. What better way could there be to celebrate the glories of God’s creation as it relates to the female form ? And what better proof could there be that God loves us and wants us to be happy ? Your help in making these things known to us deserves to be applauded; and I for one thank you sincerely. Sorry to hear you're shutting down.

Bill

Dear Father,
I find your choice to be wise, and I may follow in your footsteps soon... May God bless you richly.
Pax,
Christine

I came across this article on Pope Benedict and was wondering if anybody thought it fair and balanced.

http://www.censoredspeech.com/censoredspeech.asp?page=39

Great site by the way.

Just wondering,
dave

Funny site (this blog). But as a native speaker of Italian, "Ciao tutti" is incorrect. Correctly, it's "ciao a tutti". Fr. Bryce, my dear man of God, study your Italian.

Since this blog is technically still active, who then is in charge of monitoring the comments? Any lunatic surfing the net (and there's a lot of them) could post comments or links that are very inappropriate!

Fr. Machiavelli is correct concerning the Italian! Ciao a tutti...ma a presto? Si o no?

I'm sure that this is correct Italian grammar, but is it customary Italian idiom?

After all, (1) Padre S. lived in Rome for several years recently (this tends to give one better knowledge of the latter); and (2) in English at least "goodbye to all" also makes more grammatical sense (clarifies the relationship of "all" to "goodbye"), while "goodbye, all" is still the commoner usage, which tends to elide function words. "Ite missa est" and all that.

Why am I arguing with guys named Machiavelli and Albitellio abouse Italian usage? Maybe, Padre will come out of his cave to defend himself (or tell me not to).

And in case any of Padre's readers don't read Catholic Light, here is some of what Padre has been doing with his time recently: In the Baton Rouge Advocate.

Victor,

Thanks for sharing the article, it is great to know what the good Padre is up to!

Father, there is way too much nuttines abounding just now for you not to get back or at least find another way to help us all make sense and humor of the senseless and homoress - possibly a new and improved blog "under embargo".

One of your Charleston friends

I changed my mind and can now understand why Father Sibley stopped being active on this blog. I recently discovered that one major issue among Catholic blog owners is dealing with people who lack "Internet etiquette." I noticed comment boxes at most Catholic blogs have become too combative and hot-tempered of late. Some have become extremely ugly. "Trolls" have increasingly become a major problem in comment boxes and in forums. You also will see people fighting with each other over the same points that were raised and were seemingly settled by people with more knowledge 200 posts ago! No sense of logic/reasoning is apparently the norm these days in comment boxes and discussion forums. Maybe it's because everyone has become a self-made theologian or Church historian, everyone has now become a Catholic "expert?" It's pretty scary when you think about it.

What can blog owners do if they don't have the time to monitor comment boxes? Well, they could shut them down as others have done so (one Catholic blogger had to shut down comments because someone kept posting links to porn sites even though his IP address was banned!) That was an option here as I discussed earlier. But then a faithful Catholic who owns a blog feels that even when comment boxes are shut down and the blog is still active, are people really understanding the issues and accepting what the Church has always taught through scripture and tradition, or has the americanist heresy actually been lurking in the shadows all these years only to openly appear (during the past 40 years or so) to defeat traditional Catholicism and this is why they're (liberals and even conservatives) so angry whenever a traditional argument is made?

So I can now see why someone who owns a good Catholic blog, especially a priest, would want to retire from blogging. Too many people who lack reason and charity (maybe even sound faith?) are dominating comment boxes of late. For example, for every one traditionalist who makes a point, there are ten dissenters or others who make an opposing point in the same comment box! It is just becoming far too complicated and difficult to defend and promote what the Church has always taught these days, and even the use of humor isn't working. Ad hominem attacks are now the norm, so is that americanist heresy.

Okay Father, summer's almost over. You can come home from vacation now.

The reason father has "burnt out" is because he hasn't yet discovered the film "Mulholland Drive".

The article on "Dogville" was very good, but it didn't follow the film far enough to see the crucial distinctions that are there to be discovered.

And the connection between the works of Lynch and von Trier, especially of "MD" and "Dogville", was not made at all.

It is seeming increasingly unlikely that a 'showdown' between "The Passion of the Christ" on the one hand, and "Dogville" and "Mulholland Drive" on the other, can be avoided. Either we will believe that the cinematic world has finally opened up for God (TPOTC), or that God once again exhausted himself into silence and can speak no more (MD and Dogville).

Father - I don't know if you check on comments anymore, but if you could let us know how you are doing since Katrina hit, that would be great. My prayers are with you and your parish.

I think Padre might want to break his silence. But in the likely event he has more important things to do, I'll repost part of what I wrote last night at Amy Welborn's site, when someone there expressed concern.

--------------------------------------------------

I spoke to Father Sibley on Sunday night, and he was completely sanguine about it, since he was about 130 miles away and on high land to the west. I reflected that even though I'd lived my entire American life in the South, it was always more than 100 miles from the sea, so I never went through more than hurricane remnants.

Admittedly Katrina hadn't hit yet when I talked to Father Sibley, but at the hour we spoke -- I had just gotten off work at 7 EDT -- the conventional wisdom was still This Is The Big One, a Category 5 making a direct hit on New Orleans. Father was completely at ease and said nothing more than bad T-storms were expected where he lives. Since that point, Katrina weakened slightly and turned away to the east, away from him. The threat to new orleans is a unique feature of its geography. I just looked on Lafayette's TV station's Web site and there's no indication of any local damage at all.

I haven't spoke to him since, but I would be stunned if Father Sibley has had to deal with more than an influx of refugees.

This is response number 199. Who will be response number 200?

Lucky 200! Miss you padre!!

Speaking of Theology of the Body, how 'bout one that's geared for pre-teens or some other work aimed at younger children that helps parents lay the groundwork for TOB discussions for pre-teen and teen-age children?

Fr. Sibley sent me a little anecdote the other day, so I've posted it at Catholic Light.

Dear Friends of A Saintly Salmagundi,

As of today, Fr. Bryce is BACK ON-LINE, on a weekly podcast entitled "The Word Became Flesh", which can be accessed at: http://britius.libsyn.com/

Laus Deo!