As we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Divine Child, we face some sobering numbers: There are an estimated 145 million orphans worldwide — more than enough little ones to go three times around the planet at the equator. A few years ago, the United Nations put the number of child victims of trafficking … Read more
The argument that Shakespeare may have been a Catholic is not new, but a seminary in Rome is claiming to have evidence that is. The Venerable English College says that a guest book for visiting pilgrims contains three signatures that could indicate that the Bard traveled there during his “lost years”: Father Andrew Headon, the … Read more
It’s Christmas time again, and that means, among other things, that revelers around the world are quaffing nog, getting figgy with their pudding, and lifting their voices in song. “Christmas carols are the creed of Christendom,” wrote Frederick Wilhelmsen, and I don’t think he’s half wrong. It’s a pleasure to sing the ancient songs, as … Read more
Netflix and The Criterion Collection, two of my my very favorite “people” in the whole world, have teamed up to bring me a surprise Christmas present a few days early: For years, the Criterion Collection has been around to provide one of the best film educations a casual viewer can receive. Just by checking out … Read more
Kathleen Gilbert at LifeSiteNews has a fascinating interview with Julie Schmit-Albin, executive director of Nebraska Right to Life. On the surface the interview tells the story of a senator who made rather boastful promises of sticking to his pro-life convictions but abruptly broke those promises with a nonsensical cover story of adding “Stupak-plus” language to … Read more
Yesterday, Merck and Co. announced that Dr. Julie Gerberding has been named president of Merck Vaccine, effective at the end of January. As far as credentials go, she has them in spades… the most noteworthy is her recent position as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 2002 to 2009. Of … Read more
My wife and I began a new Christmas tradition a couple years ago, and we’re trying to spread it. There is a beer – a very remarkable beer – that’s named after the season’s favorite saint: Samichlaus . Every year on December 6th, the Feast of St. Nicholas, the good beer brewers of of Austria begin … Read more
My wife and I began a new Christmas tradition a couple years ago, and we’re trying to spread it. There is a beer – a very remarkable beer – that’s named after the season’s favorite saint: Samichlaus . Every year on December 6th, the Feast of St. Nicholas, the good beer brewers of of Austria begin … Read more
This is pretty cool: Archaeologists in Israel say they have discovered the remains of the first home in Nazareth that can be dated to the time of Jesus. The dwelling and older discoveries of nearby tombs in burial caves suggest that Nazareth was an out-of-the-way hamlet of around 50 houses on a patch of about … Read more
The New York Times‘ house economist Paul Krugman is no fan of the filibuster… at least, when it’s used against the kinds of intrusive, big government legislation he promotes. In March 2005, he warned America that “extremists” were trying to eliminate the filibuster to push through their partisan (and pro-life) judges. But now that Obama … Read more
St. Thomas Aquinas was once tricked by his fellow students who cried out, “Look! A flying ox!” Thomas dutifully went to the window to look, and his peers all laughed at him heartily. Thomas’s reply (and one of the many reasons he’s a saint): “I thought it more likely that an ox would fly than … Read more
As an achievement in technical innovation, Avatar is phenomenal, a ride worth taking more than once, but as adventure movies go, it is impressively new in every way except the way that matters most. Its look will last. But its heart won’t go on. — Jeffrey Overstreet Deep down, Avatar is bone-headed, but it’s also … Read more
Joseph saw Avatar this weekend so you wouldn’t have to — look for his review later today — but meanwhile, Ross Douthat has some reflections in the New York Times on what he calls “[director James] Cameron’s long apologia for pantheism,” that vague, naturalistic spirituality that he says has held sway with Americans for some … Read more
As my readers are probably aware that Christmas Day is approaching, I will flag another religious event that is indirectly related. This is not outwardly a Christian event, nor alternatively “multicultural” either; nor really “upcoming,” since it is already here. Nor is it an “event” in the sense of a holiday, holy day, or anniversary, … Read more
The more Americans know about the new healthcare bill before the Senate, the less they like it. That’s the unmistakable trend in polling on the issue. But as Michael Cannon at Cato notes, that’s not stopping the Democrats from moving at full steam. Rather than go back to the drawing board and write a better … Read more
I’ve never seen this much snow in Maryland and I’ve lived here almost nine years. We had about two feet in Baltimore — our car was almost invisible under a pile of the white stuff, and everything was shut down. People are now digging out. There’s something magical about a snowstorm in the city. Everything … Read more
I’ve never seen this much snow in Maryland and I’ve lived here almost nine years. We had about two feet in Baltimore — our car was almost invisible under a pile of the white stuff, and everything was shut down. People are now digging out. There’s something magical about a snowstorm in the city. Everything … Read more
On Friday, CatholicCulture.org reported that Pope Benedict met with Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. At that time, the pope approved numerous miracles, allowing for the canonization of five Catholics and the beatification of five others. Additionally, ten people were declared “Venerable” — having lived lives of heroic virtue. Among … Read more
Dear Representative Stupak, Your statement on Saturday following the decision of Sen. Ben Nelson to support the Senate health-care bill was a great relief to millions of Catholics in this country. Your comment that “the Senate abortion language is not acceptable” provided moral and religious clarity at a crucial moment in the history of our … Read more
Today, we have a quick bit on making jewelery. This is something my dad once learned to do for my mom, doing everything from rock/gem polishing over to metal shaping. Talk about romantic! (Single Catholic lay men, take note.) As always, these pages come from Catholic University’s online archive of Treasure Chest. Next Sunday: The … Read more