This is one of the loveliest photos I’ve ever seen: Miriam, the sister of the late Georgian Luge athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili, in her home town this weekend during his funeral. The picture perfectly captures a sister’s grief. Heart-breaking. In spite of the Olympics’ tragic start, I have found the games exciting thus far. As … Read more
One common complaint among Evangelicals or fundamentalists is that Catholics honor Mary “too much.” It’s a highly specialized complaint, much like the concern over Catholic “graven images” that completely overlooks the Evangelical’s own bowling trophies. After all (and I speak from experience here), Evangelicals have no problem honoring Paul. They write hundreds of books about … 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
Rekindling a semi-tradition from last year, here is a piece of sacred music to help celebrate the First Sunday of Lent. I thought I’d start off with a relative newcomer (to me, at least): “In te Domine speravi,” from the ubiquitous Anonymous. O Lord, in Thee I have hoped; let me never be put to … Read more
Comedic action rules the day in part seven of 1960’s ten-part serial “Uncle Harry’s Gold Mine,” written and illustrated by Frank Borth. As always, these pages come from Catholic University’s online archive of Treasure Chest of Fact and Fun. Thanks to Grandpa, that forward-looking stalwart…
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
Since it was a decidedly Catholic film, it was only fitting that the invited audience at the premiere of Thérèse should be the same. Sitting with actor/director Leonardo Defelippis in the New York theater were a bishop, some priests, local diocesan officials, Catholic activists, and a patchwork of religious men and women wearing full-length habits. … Read more
Here’s an instant classic from British television on Wednesday. Two news anchors were covering Joe Biden’s press conference when they noticed the smudge on his forehead. It begins at .27…
The Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) is holding its annual conference right now in Washington, D.C. and these comments by Libertarian Party Executive Director Wes Benedict caught my eye today: I’m sure we’ll hear an awful lot about “limited government” from the mouths of CPAC politicians over the next few days. If I had a … Read more
“Do you watch The Bachelor?” the woman cutting my hair the other day wanted to know. “No,” I answered. But then, because I don’t want to become known around town as that crazy woman who has a million kids and is completely out of touch with the real world, I added quickly, “But I did … 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
“Religion is divisive,” we Christians hear from our secularist critics, and have heard from them since that night of totalitarian cravings called the Enlightenment descended upon Europe from Paris to Prussia. “It needs to be kept in check, relegated to the closet, for the sake of a decent and civil society.” Yet exactly … 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
Canadian Dahlia Lithwick has an enjoyable piece at Slate defending “Own the Podium,” her nation’s $118 billion dollar effort to dominate the medal race in Vancouver. Someday, someone is going to explain to me why it is that journalists so frequently speak about Canadians as though we are all about 2 feet tall and 7 … 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
“Why do you people care so much about externals?” my non-Trad friends sometimes ask me. And they deserve an answer. A few weeks back, my delightfully contentious colleague here, Mark Shea, waded into the conflict between those who describe themselves simply as “orthodox” Catholics, and those who consider themselves “traditionalists.” (Just to save space in … Read more
Lent. It’s here already. My Shrove Tuesday fare was a bit subdued because I’m fighting a cold, but I managed to make my favorite pancakes. With only 7 tablespoons of flour and 1 cup of sour cream, it’s the perfect food for Fat Tuesday. But I’m not posting to tell you about my pancakes. A … 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
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
Rev. Richard John Neuhaus long wondered about the phenomenon of innumerable Catholics, pious and not, practicing and not, who throng to churches at all hours of Ash Wednesday to receive ashes on their foreheads on the first day of Lent. He was unable to pinpoint a reason why the annual ashes exceed both the Lord’s … Read more
