The Anchoress’s recent trip to Rome reminded her of how breathtakingly beautiful churches can be… and how churches in the States mostly aren’t. Visiting Rome’s splendid, often ancient, churches, my husband and I, who attend newish, barely-decorated, kind-of-ugly churches that are heavy on the felt banners, had not realized how much we’d been missing beauty … Read more
This past Tuesday, seven representatives of Catholic Charities USA were welcomed into the Oval Office by President Obama on the occasion of the organization’s 100th anniversary. Those invited were Rev. Larry Snyder, president; Retired Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan of Brooklyn, Catholic Charities USA’s 2010 Centennial Medal winner; Sr. Donna Markham, Board Chair; Candy S. Hill, … Read more
While the final resting place of the RMS Titanic was discovered in 1985, historians have never fully understood the events leading up to its fateful collision with an iceberg. Now Louise Patten, popular novelist and granddaughter of the ship’s Second Officer, Charles Lightoller, may have cleared up the mystery by revealing a century-old family secret: … Read more
Over the past two weeks, I’ve had extensive discussions with a wide group of Catholic leaders about the state of the Church in the United States. The frustration and impatience among Catholics, which I discussed last February in “Is It Time for a Catholic Tea Party?,” continue to grow. The occasions for this discussion were … Read more
Well folks, with the midterm elections right around the corner, we should all be thinking hard about the values that motivate us to choose who will represent us. I’ll make this contribution to the discussion: http://www.youtube.com/user/RealCatholicTV?feature=mhum#p/a/u/0/QyHJCAbXhRY I don’t watch RealCatholic TV and have only seen this guy Michael Vorhis once before, but a … Read more
If you want to write satire nowadays, you should give up on publishing books and even articles. Reality outpaces parody so quickly that you’re better off sticking to Twitter. If you take the time to write your dyspeptic warnings of the future into a polished, final form, chances are that, before they are even copy-edited, … Read more
Even if you’re not a fan of Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show, you must watch this segment from Monday night’s episode. Comedian/correspondent Aasif Mandvi investigates “union” protestors picketing a Walmart in Nevada, and makes an interesting discovery. You’ve got to feel sorry for that local union head. “Nailed” is the perfect term here.
These sorts of scientific articles never cease to amuse me: Mother Earth could have parted the Red Sea, hatching the great escape described in the biblical book of Exodus, a new study finds. Wait just a minute there. You mean Mother Earth could have done this cool Red Sea stuff all on her own, without … Read more
According to experiments, narcissists are excellent at convincing people that their ideas are the most creative. The same thing happens in groups when there is a handful of narcissists. This short article in Science Now reports that creativity and narcissism often appear to go hand in hand: …Creative people often appear self-important, hungry for attention, … Read more
Bulgarian artist Yanko Tsvetkov is getting lots of attention for his “Mapping Stereotypes” project — various maps of Europe according to different countries’ real feelings about their neighbors. Here’s Europe according to the U.S.: Seems about right: What else is Ireland good for if not giving us St. Patrick? (Guinness, maybe.) And the further east … Read more
A new Obama administration web site was launched late last night called “Health Reform in Action.” In the section “Myths & Facts,” the first so-called myth is, “Health insurance reform will use my tax dollars to fund abortions.” How does the Obama administration refute this assertion, supported by the Catholic bishops, National Right to Life, … Read more
Germany had tried to suborn neutral countries with a dramatization of the war on the Russian front as a crusade against godless Communism. A new ambassador to Madrid was appointed with the intent of persuading Spain that the Nazis were the last defense of Catholic Europe. The former minister to Spain, Eberhard von Stohrer, had … Read more
Aunt Lucerne was the only relative Philip and Roger Knight had, so it was perhaps fitting that she should be absolute. Once in the dimly remembered past she may have entertained doubts, but this was long before her nephews came to know her. In their experience, she had always been omniscient, riddled with certainty and … Read more
How many times have you washed your hands in a rest room at a gas station, a movie theater, or a retail store only to find there are no paper towels, only a metallic box hanging on the wall blowing lukewarm air. Out of frustration, you grab some TP only to find it so razor … Read more
In Ross Douthat’s Sunday New York Times column, he explains why — despite the insistence that the Church today is irrelevant for failing to keep up with the times — hundreds of thousands of Catholics came out for the UK papal visit: [I]n turning out for their beleaguered pope, Britain’s Catholics acknowledged something essential about … Read more
We have a tendency these days to romanticize the indigenous peoples of the Americas. While there’s some justice in that — popular culture has been less than kind in its portrayal of Indians over the years — it nevertheless runs up against the facts of history. To wit: Crushed leg bones, battered skulls and other … Read more
This past weekend, the Church set before us one of the most mysterious parables Jesus ever told, the Parable of the Dishonest Steward (Lk 16:1-12). It’s the sort of thing that makes homilists all over the world feel their collars tighten and gives them an overwhelming urge to just skip the Gospel and focus on … Read more
The recently-completed Papal Visit (UK) has had a number of fascinating results already, including the (potential) defeat of the long-standing “Vatican Rottweiler” meme that Margaret mentioned this morning. Given my 5-day absence from the IntraWebs, I’m still sifting through all the commentary that has sprung up in the wake of the Pope’s visit. But given my … Read more
A pope affirming the glories of British Parliamentary democracy, and urging the nation not to marginalize Christianity or neglect the crucial role it plays in establishing human rights and freedoms. Young people kneeling in silent prayer — some 80,000 of them — in a candlelit vigil in central London. Misty rain on an English hillside, … Read more
Deacon Greg linked to an article in the Vancouver Sun this morning that wrapped up the pope’s UK visit, and I’m exasperated just from the title: Pope sheds ‘Vatican Rottweiler’ image on Britain trip Really? Are we still acting surprised when, once again, Pope Benedict turns out to be nothing like the angry caricature so … Read more