Roasted artichokes in oil; garlic-pickled mushrooms; cipolline onions in balsamic; exquisite antipasti and exotic pastas; squid in ink — I am doing well out of Lent so far, thanks largely to an after-Christmas sell-off in a local supermarket. The proprietor is an Italian immigrant of some taste, who got it into his head that if … Read more
On the third day of the conclave — October 28, 1958 — the white smoke signaled to the crowd in St. Peter’s Square the election of a new pope, Angelo Cardinal Roncalli, patriarch of Venice, who took the name of John XXIII. The Roman crowd was momentarily silenced; it could not put a face to … Read more
…and no one’s there, does it make a sound? Over at dotCommonweal, Robert Imbelli had a brief post on the buzz-producing “Yes” from Scott Brown on yesterday’s jobs bill. While many analysts have spent the last little while dissecting the vote itself, Imbelli noticed a much quieter (yet much more depressing) note in the story: Three hours before … 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
If you followed CPAC news at all, you know the big story of the conference was that Congressman Ron Paul improbably won the presidential straw poll. While I don’t think Paul has a chance at the 2012 nomination (sadly), the poll was revealing in other ways. 2395 attendees voted — the highest number in the … 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
For the last several years, I’ve been keeping a wary and mistrusting eye on Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackon’s secretive attempts to turn the work responsible for some of my fondest (and, I would have thought, least cinematic) childhood memories into a motion picture. I speak, of course, of the long-gestating, mysterious, almost-impossibly challenging The Adventures of … 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
Since the beginning of his pontificate, it has been widely understood that Pope Benedict XVI is working on a “reform of the reform” of the Catholic liturgy. The pope’s statements suggest that his intention is to clear up many of the distortions of Vatican II with regard to the liturgy, to combat widespread liturgical abuses, … 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
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… Â