Brenda Steele here: Deal is just now arriving in Melbourne, Australia, after a marathon flight. He seems no worse for wear, though I’m sure he’s excited to feel the earth beneath his feet after 25 hours in the air. Deal’s trip will keep him in Melbourne, visiting old friends of InsideCatholic, Michael and Karen Hall, … Read more
According to the Centers for Disease Control, African American women have 40 percent of the nation’s abortions, but make up only 13 percent of the population. That black children are being aborted at such a high rate has not been a subject of discussion among the Democrats in the Congress and the White House, who … Read more
A few days before the New Year Chippy and I spent the day studying Shakespeare. In the morning we looked through “Shakespeare’s Complete Works” from my college days at the University of Texas, complete with my teenage marginalia. Then, I asked Chippy to read from the balcony scene in “Romeo and Juliet,” and later that … Read more
A few days before the New Year Chippy and I spent the day studying Shakespeare. In the morning we looked through “Shakespeare’s Complete Works” from my college days at the University of Texas, complete with my teenage marginalia. Then, I asked Chippy to read from the balcony scene in “Romeo and Juliet,” and later that … Read more
Those wondering why Francis Cardinal George suddenly announced his condemnation of New Ways Ministry on February 5 should take note of a meeting held a few days earlier in Washington, D.C. During the last weekend of January, a group of Catholics, lay and religious, met in Washington to launch “Catholics for Equality” (CFE). New Ways … Read more
The only thing that explains Sen. Harry Reid’s latest verbal gaffe is stress and exhaustion — he needs a long vacation. Standing on the floor of the Senate yesterday with notes, yes, with notes on the podium in front of him, the majority leader said, I met with some people while I was home dealing … Read more
Last November 5, Ave Maria University celebrated a generous gift of $4 million from Tom Golisano, chairman of Paychex, the second largest payroll processor in the United States. Given that Golisano is the owner of the Buffalo Sabres hockey team and Buffalo Bandits lacrosse team, his gift will go to build a field house, where … Read more
Australia has her first saint! Sister Mary Mackillop, co-founder of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart, will be canonized on October 17. I will be making my first trip to Australia — Sydney and Melbourne — in early March, so I’m sure to encounter some of the excitement among Catholic Aussies at … Read more
It was my first trip to the new city of Ave Maria, some thirty miles northeast of Naples, Florida. I’d been to Ave Maria University when it was still housed in temporary buildings in Naples proper but had not seen, with my own eyes, the new campus, especially the stunning new oratory that dominates the … Read more
Matt Smith takes the debate over the Catholic Campaign for Human Development to a new level: He calculates the amount Catholic parishes paid to organizations supporting abortion and same-sex marriage. Smith calculates that since CCHD receives from $7 to $9 million each years, and their are 18,280 parishes in the US, “the average parish contribution … Read more
How many times have you been on an important cell-phone call, and suddenly the call is dropped? Whether you pay for service from Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, or any other service provider, dead zones are unhappy facts of daily life. For the past few years, phone companies have been encouraged to invest in expanding infrastructure — … Read more
Brenda Steele, writing at Catholic Advocate, remembers her first Lent after her conversion. As a convert, I remember every minute of the Easter Vigil when I, too, could at long last, partake in the sacrament of the Eucharist for the very first time. If you are a convert, and you’re reading this, you know exactly … Read more
My friend, Deacon Keith Fournier, argues at Catholic Online that what is needed in politics is not a conservative revolution, but a Christian one. His argument is a response to the forthcoming “Conservative Manifesto” scheduled to be unveiled at the CPAC Convention beginning on Thursday. Fournier’s insistence on leaving the terms “liberal” and “conservative” behind … Read more
I’ve been asked why I support the Reform CCHD Now petition requesting that the bishops suspend all Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) grants until a thorough review of the program has been completed. A series of reports by Reform CCHD have revealed clear evidence that grants are being given to organizations supporting abortion and same-sex marriage. … Read more
I always enjoy the comments of Michael Sean Winters at America‘s blog — though he did annoy me once or twice. His latest, a response to my thoughts about the possibility of a Catholic Tea Party, is insightful, but it avoids the substance of my argument. Winters attributes my agitated state of mind to the … Read more
I always enjoy the comments of Michael Sean Winters at America‘s blog — though he did annoy me once or twice. His latest, a response to my thoughts about the possibility of a Catholic Tea Party, is insightful, but it avoids the substance of my argument. Winters attributes my agitated state of mind to the … Read more
Brother Michael Gaitley, MIC watched the NCAA National Championship game at my house between the University of Alabama and the University of Texas. What a delightful man! He came with his sister, Heather McGrath, whose husband Michael McGrath is on the board at Magdalen College. Brother Michael’s book, Consoling the Heart of Jesus: A Do-It-Yourself … Read more
Over 750 “tea parties” were held on April 15 of last year, protesting the excesses of the Obama administration — in particular, the pork-stuffed stimulus bill. Initially, the mainstream media tried to ignore the movement. They downplayed its size and influence, until the steady slide of President Obama’s popularity, the growing opposition to Congress’s health-care … Read more
Brenda Steele watched the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist on The Oprah Show today. Her comments published at Catholic Advocate, I am sure, echo what all of us who were able to watch the show were thinking. Here Brenda hits the nail right on the head: It would have been impossible for … Read more
Matt Smith has published more information on the USCCB’s problematic membership in the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Calling it LCCHR’s “Greatest Hits,” Smith juxtaposes the civil rights organization’s opposition to the Federal Marriage Marriage and support for CEDAW with the Catholic positions advocated by the USCCB. Why would the bishop’s conference be … Read more