The news of the Catholic school in Boulder that will not allow the children of a lesbian couple to re-enroll next year has been making national headlines (and most of them not pretty). The pastor in charge of the school says he was merely complying with archdiocesan regulations; and yesterday, Archbishop Charles Chaput came to … Read more
The number of estimated dead from the horrific attacks outside of Jos in Nigeria this weekend has reached 500, officials say: The dead were Christians and members of an ethnic group that had been feuding with the Hausa-Fulani, Muslim herders whom witnesses and police officials identified as the attackers. Officials said the attack was in … Read more
Our good friend Tom Hoopes of the National Catholic Register enjoyed John Zmirak’s column on the Traditional Latin Mass from a couple of weeks back, calling it “hilarious, copiously linked to supporting material, clever”…and also wrong. John argued that, while the form of the Mass itself may be composed of changeable externals, “Inessential things have … Read more
The big show is starting soon — post predictions, favorite speeches, best and worst dressed, and more in the comments!
Good morning! Today’s links are all odds and ends that wouldn’t fit anywhere else this week — feel free to drop your own news items in the comments: Why you’ve never really heard The Moonlight Sonata. Don’t miss the clips. The story of the British POW who snuck into Auschwitz: “I knew in my gut … Read more
Big news from the Archdiocese of Washington this week: Catholic Charities announced that they would no longer be offering spousal health-care benefits for employees, rather than be forced to acknowledge same-sex partners under DC’s new law. In a statement on Tuesday, Archbishop Donald Wuerl justified their decision: “The Catholic Church teaches to pay a just … Read more
Almost exactly 50 years after President Kennedy’s landmark address to the Protestant ministers at Houston Baptist University, Archbishop Charles Chaput gave a presentation in the same place on the role of Christians in political life — calling Kennedy’s own view of church and state profoundly wrong: [Kennedy] needed to convince 300 uneasy Protestant ministers, and … Read more
Last year, Seth Grahame-Smith altered the face of classic lit forever by releasing Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Knock-offs multiplied faster than… well, zombies, and the reading public was quickly introduced to Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, Mansfield Park and Mummies, and Queen Victoria: Demon Hunter. Now, Grahame-Smith is back with his latest, Abraham … Read more
Those in homeschooling circles are probably familiar with the education system in Germany, which requires all children to attend an officially recognized school or face fines and penalties. The story of one German family, the Romeikes, has also gained some notoreity here: After attempting to homeschool their children and being threatened with thousands in fines, … Read more
Good Friday morning! A few links to get the day started: The school-reform debate gets serious: When one low-ranked school in Rhode Island couldn’t agree on a plan for improvement, the school board sacked all 75 teachers at once. That’s one way to get their attention… Woman live-tweets her experience taking RU-486 to abort her … Read more
Seen on the streets of Baltimore the other day (don’t worry, traffic was stopped when I snapped this picture). If you can’t read the text, it says, “The Light is ON for You. Catholic Churches around the Archdiocese of Baltimore will be open for confessions each Wednesday during Lent (www.ArchBalt.org).” This outreach program has been … Read more
Crunchy Con blogger Rod Dreher was crushed last week when his 41-year-old sister Ruthie was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. While the news has been devastating to his family, it has also drawn them closer in love, prompting Rod to wonder why, when life is so fragile, we insist on holding on to … Read more
Last fall, I (and the rest of the world) reported on the story of Rom Houben, a man who was thought to have been in a coma for 23 years before doctors discovered that he was actually conscious. Even more incredible was that Houben was reported to be communicating — even hoping to write a book about … Read more
The original title of this New York Times piece was too awesome not to keep. The article marks the passing of Yitta Schwartz, a 93-year-old Jewish matriarch — in the fullest sense of the word: When Yitta Schwartz died last month at 93, she left behind 15 children, more than 200 grandchildren and so many great- … Read more
Thanks to Father James Martin for pointing out the new movie Lourdes, which I hadn’t heard of before but now definitely want to see. The set-up seems straightforward — a young Frenchwoman, Christine, is afflicted with multiple sclerosis and visits Lourdes with a group of handicapped pilgrims — but the film itself takes a more complex look … Read more
Time for some Friday morning linkage: “Sarah Palin and the mutual loathing society“: George Will says that, whatever raw deal she may have been handed by the media, Sarah Palin’s brand of populism isn’t a winning political movement. Over at True/Slant, Conor Friedersdorf rounds up his picks for the best journalism of 2009. The pieces … Read more
Debates about what a Catholic hospital must (and must not) do to be considered fully “Catholic” are nothing new, but this latest step by Bishop Vasa perhaps is: The diocese of Baker, Oregon, has announced that it will be “ending its official sponsorship” of St. Charles Medical Center, a historically Catholic hospital: “It is my responsibility … Read more
If you’re anything like me, Ash Wednesday usually sneaks up on you, such that you’re scrambling to figure out what you’re “giving up” halfway through the first week of Lent — and then it’ll be something poorly thought out that doesn’t seem to do much along penitential lines. So for my fellow procrastinators, I’ve done … Read more
The bishops of Ireland wrapped up their meeting with Pope Benedict today regarding the sex-abuse scandal in that country. The Holy See has released an official statement about the closed-door meeting: For his part, the Holy Father observed that the sexual abuse of children and young people is not only a heinous crime, but also a grave sin … Read more
Having been able to catch a little of the Olympic speedskating events over the weekend, this article about a former speedskater turned nun was particularly interesting. Kirstin Holum came from “speedskating royalty” — her mother was a gold medalist in 1972 and went on to train the legendary Eric Heiden to his 5-gold victory in … Read more