Forty years after the close of the Second Vatican Council, liturgical reform remains one of the most contested topics of Catholic debate. The subject, most often discussed from either the dogmatic or historical perspective, leaves little time for the powerful role played by visual imagery in worship. Although it is universally conceded that the visual … Read more
One of my favorite year-end traditions has got to be The Boston Globe’s “Big Picture” blog’s photographic retrospective. And this year’s three-parter (Part One, Part Two, and Part Three) is certainly no reason to change my mind. The felicitous timing of some of these shots is absolutely mind-blowing. Enjoy!
I know next to nothing about Roald Dahl outside of his children’s books, but apparently his daughter Tessa is better known in England as a novelist, socialite, and drug addict with a checkered history. These days, though, she’s making headlines for a different kind of rebellion: as she puts it, “leaving the life of addiction … Read more
Most people know there is a rather intimidating portrait in the Old Testament of a stormy Yahweh thundering from Sinai. It is a portrait to give one healthy pause. It reminds us that “our God is a consuming fire” (Heb 12:29), the awful and perfect Judge who can see into the tiniest cranny of conscience … Read more
I don’t know if you’ve ever run into Rose Is Rose, but it’s a fairly long-running strip about a married couple (with a delightful, romantic relationship), their young son, and often his guardian angel. Imaging–a funny strip that doesn’t descend into cynicism and sarcasm! Amazon.com has lots of collections of the strip, and our family … Read more
My Christmas present to readers of this electronic journal this year will be to tell you to go read the Church Fathers. I should mention that you are getting this advice already “used,” or at least secondhand. I already wrote a column saying the same thing in a different way in my (very) secular newspaper … Read more
As someone who was more-than-a-little scarred by Walden Media’s attempts to adapt Prince Caspian, I had resolved to keep my distance from the recently-released Voyage of the Dawn Treader until I could see the reactions of two of my favorite “working critics:” Jeffrey Overstreet and Steven Greydanus. Interestingly, both of them felt that the filmmakers … Read more
Anyone looking for a last-minute Christmas gift for those notoriously hard-to-shop-for friends and family members should consider picking up a copy of Anthony Esolen’s latest book, Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child. Tony, a regular contributor at IC, has written many beautiful reflections here that comment thoughtfully on the sorry state of … Read more
This piece in Salon caught my attention yesterday. It’s written by an admittedly un-maternal woman who gives thanks for not getting her tubes tied. She didn’t want children and then surprisingly found herself pregnant and happily parenting. She lists a number of reasons why she and her partner had their son: We decided to have … Read more
I was putting together my list of “ten most laughable public attacks of 2010″ when I received an e-mail newsletter from Chris Korzen and the team at Catholics United. Korzen’s letter — an attack on Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, and Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York — was packed with alternately risible … Read more
With the rapid advance of technology, education is in the midst of a transition between the traditional classroom model and newer, online-based methods. InsideCatholic editor Brian Saint-Paul spoke with Mark Giszczak of the Augustine Institute about Catholicism, distance learning, and the future of theological instruction. Is the age of the university nearing its end? ♦ … Read more
If you want to irritate the heck out of me, send me a link to a story like this. Dick Thompson, a 72 year-old Iowan man, lives in a trailer on 32 acres of land that he purchased from his parents. He prefers simple living — no plumbing or electricity — and has a few … Read more
Morning! Time for your Friday link round-up: Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” has been announced: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. One of the runners up: Julian Assange. (How do the winners of these things always end up being people that I would never want to meet in real life?) Pope Benedict is named a “person … Read more
This is the story of the rebirth of St. Jerome Catholic School as St. Jerome Catholic Classical School. St. Jerome’s parish, located in Hyattsvile, Maryland, is an unusual case to begin with: Last year, it had 50 percent more baptisms than funerals, and it has four men currently in formation for the priesthood. But the … Read more
The work of Frank Borzage — more than 100 films in forty years — is one of the best kept secrets of the American cinema. The director himself, in the words of critic Andrew Sarris, remains an elusive figure in film history. A contemporary of John Ford, Alfred Hitchcock, Howard Hawks, King Vidor, and Frank … Read more
Sky News reports that the European Court of Human Rights has criticized the Dublin government for “leaving its courts with a lack of good information regarding lawful abortions in the country.” Three women known as A, B, and C have been fighting Ireland’s ban on abortion. In Ireland, abortion is only allowed if there is … Read more
Over the past two weeks, we’ve discussed how teachers’ unions obstruct effective school reform. Now we have concrete examples of the ways they waste education funds as well. In the state of Illinois, for example, there are 138 Drivers Ed teachers who make over $100,000 for a 9-month work year. The highest among them pulls … Read more
The Druids are back. Some may remember the Druids from half-forgotten Dungeons and Dragons role-playing games, or from the description of them in Julius Caesar’s De Bello Gallico, where they are portrayed as important religious leaders who engaged in and presided over human sacrifices. Recent archeological findings support the literary evidence of human sacrifice, but … Read more
I understand that technology can be a trap into which we fall. That said, this video, “Future applications of graphene,” is really amazing. [video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YbS-YyvCl4 635×355] Graphene, as some of you know, is a monolayer of carbon molecules: transparent, stronger than steel, and amazingly conductive. Incredibly neat stuff!! Having a single device be a watch, phone, … Read more
For all of you who’ve been craving a bishop with the …ahem… backbone to assert his authority and engage his erstwhile wayward flock, you’re gonna love Bishop Olmsted in Phoenix, who just took a Catholic Hospital in his diocese to task: “The Catholic bishop of Phoenix will strip St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center of … Read more