Creative Minority Reader: November 2013

The Most Offensive, Obscene Reading Assignment Ever Given By A Professor?!

Anti-Christian idiocy.

A professor at a public university in California recently had his literature class read and discuss a book called “The Baby Jesus Butt Plug: A Fairy Tale,” TheBlaze.com reports. “Professor Jordan Smith at California State University, Long Beach confirmed to TheBlaze in an email that he assigned the 104-page book to his Comic Spirit class after a student suggested they read it,” Oliver Darcy of TheBlaze.com reported Wednesday. Smith, who added students in his class voted to read the book, defended the assignment as having academic value.

Thanksgiving Recipes from Kids from the Francscan Sisters

These are hilarious.

Our Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity prayer for blessings on your family and friends this Thanksgiving comes with turkey recipes from the children at St. Francis of Assisi School, Greenwood, MS. Have a light-hearted feast and give thanks with us for God’s abundant blessings!

Abp. Chaput on The Gift of Thanksgiving and the Advent Season

Archbishop Chaput is always worth reading. His reflections here on being thankful and repenting are wonderful:

Thanksgiving is a good time to step back from the pressures of work, reflect on the course of our lives and remember that gratitude is the beginning of joy. It’s also an opportunity to remember whom we’re thanking, and why we’re thanking him. The holiday has vividly Christian roots, and it makes little sense without its religious origins. Americans certainly don’t need to be Christian to enter into the spirit of the day, but Thanksgiving reminds us of a fundamentally higher reality: our dependence on a loving Creator. In a world so often marked by suffering and want, God has blessed us with abundance – both as a nation and as individuals. No one “owes” us this abundance. Other people around the world work just as hard as we do, or harder, and receive far less from life. As Scripture says: To whom much is given, from them much will be required (Lk 12:48). Thus we Americans have the privilege to turn our hearts to God in gratitude, but we also have God’s invitation to share our abundance with those who have less than we do.

PB&J Sandwiches Are Racist, Says Public School Official (Fixed link)

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich is Racist, Says Portland School Official Continue reading>>>

Obama Administration Snubs Catholic Church With Vatican Embassy Downgrade

Shocking, right?

The Obama administration has offended the Catholic Church before by putting in place ambassadors who support abortion and flout the pro-life teachings of the Catholic Church. Now, President Barack Obama is taking this further and launching what could be the first step in pushing the United Nations to remove the Holy See’s official status at the UN. The Obama administration has decided that the free-standing American embassy to the Holy See will soon be closed, and the offices for the Ambassador to the Vatican will be moved inside of the U.S. Italian Embassy. The State Department claims the decision is a result of security reviews that followed the attacks on the American embassy in Benghazi last year. Their review claims the current U.S. Embassy to the Holy See is no longer safe.

Pro-Life Display Vandalized at Public University

Tolerance.

A pro-life student group at Central Michigan University (CMU) had a their pro-life display torn down and stolen last Wednesday, Campus Reform has learned. The CMU Students for Life (SFL) chapter, arranged a display which featured infant clothing hanging on a clothesline. One out of every four pieces of clothing featuring a red X to symbolize that a quarter of pregnancies end in abortion.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers gives birth for third time in office, makes history

Congratulations.

With the birth of daughter Brynn Catherine on Sunday, Washington’s Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers became the first-ever member of Congress to give birth three times while in office.

NY Times Raves Over Meryl Streep Reading Audiobook of Vicious Attack on the Traditional Bible Reading of Mary

The New York Times gave another warm, huggy article to gay author Colm Toibin’s vicious anti-Christian “Testament of Mary” in the Sunday Book Review. They’ve praised it as a book, they’ve praised it as a play. On Sunday, they praised it as an audio book, with the bizarre claim of a Christ-denying Mary voiced by ...Meryl Streep.

Study: Christians Don't Care about the Environment

Which actually means that Christians don't worship Gaia or believe that man is a stain on the Earth that needs to be eradicated:

A recent Michigan State University-led study suggests the so-called “greening of Christianity” over the last two decades has failed to prompt average Christians to care about or try and help the environment. The study also contends Christians care less about the environment than atheists and people of other beliefs. “There is very little evidence to support the idea that rank-and-file Christians are as green as non-Christians or nonreligious individuals, approximately two decades into the supposed greening of Christianity trend,” the study states. “In fact, these results are consistent with the finding of earlier studies that Christian identity, beliefs, and behaviors are negatively related to environmental concern.”

Supreme Court Orders Obama Admin to Respond to Homeschooling Family’s Appeal

This is good news. The more attention this gets, the better.

The United States Supreme Court has ordered Attorney General Eric Holder and Department of Justice to respond to a petition to appeal from a Christian homeschooling family that is fighting deportation to their homeland of Germany. As previously reported, Ewe and Hannelore Romeike have been battling the matter in the courts for several years while continuing to raise their six children in rural Tennessee. The Romeike family fled to the United States in 2008 after German authorities demanded that they stop homeschooling in violation of national law. Homeschooling was made illegal in the country in 1938 under the dictatorship of Adolph Hitler, and the law has never been repealed, but rather strengthened. In 2007, the German Supreme Court ruled that the country’s mandate that children be sent to public school is necessary to “counteract the development of religious and philosophically motivated parallel societies.”

San Fran Pol Disses the Batkid

Holy cow. What a jerk. And San Fran voted for this clown.

This story actually took place a couple of days ago, but since I missed it at the time I figured it was worth a quick look in case any of you had also. I’m sure you remember the story of Miles Scott, the five year old leukemia survivor who got to be Batkid for a day, as San Francisco transformed itself into Gotham while Miles saved everyone from various nefarious villains. Pretty much the entire country was swept up in the story, and even a die-hard old cynic like yours truly couldn’t avoid a bit of tearing up (no doubt from the high pollen count that day). It was a darned near perfect story. So how could anyone have a problem with it? Enter San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar. As the rest of the city came out in droves to cheer Miles on to victory for the good guys, Mar was busy taking to his Twitter account.

JFK and Catholicism

What lessons did JFK teach about Catholicism?

On September 12, 1960, John F. Kennedy delivered an historic speech to a group of Protestant clergy in Houston -- the Greater Houston Ministerial Association -- an address that continues, to this day, to be the subject of much discussion among Catholics.

Bishop Zubik 1, HHS Mandate 0

Judge rules for religious freedom.

In yet another pro-life victory against the HHS mandate that forces churches and religious groups to pay for birth control and drugs that may cause abortions for their employees, a federal judge has ruled that the Catholic Church in Pittsburgh doesn’t have to comply. Bishop David Zubik of Pittsburgh made such a stink when he testified in court recently that he received national attention. He said would rather pay fines, no matter how much they might be that be forced to follow the directives of the abortion mandate.

Catholic University of America Student Swaps Zucchetti with Pope

Great story:

The Catholic University of America (CUA) features a story on its website this week about junior theology major Ajani Gibson's recent encounter with Pope Francis. Gibson is studying at the CUA Campus in Rome.

Air Force Academy Admits It Removed “So Help Me God” From Oaths…

It seems to me the military needs God more, not less.

God has no place in the Obama-led military.

Must-Watch Video: Immersed in a warm bath, newborn twins cuddle each other as if they're still in the womb

You've got to see this.

This is a demonstration of the Thalasso Bain Bébé, invented by a neonatal nurse in Paris.

This is Heavy. But We Are Also Strong

Laura writes at Mothering Spirit:

Last night before dinner I stole a few minutes while the quiche was cooking to cut up melon for tomorrow’s breakfast. The evening news hummed along on the radio, and the boys played peacefully on the porch. I savored the clean slice of chef’s knife into cantaloupe. For one of those rare moments, everything around me rested calm and content.

Bill Donohue: The Left "Grossly" Misinterpreting Pope Francis' Comments

You mean the media isn't trustworthy?

Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, criticized both the religious and secular left on the Glenn Beck Program Tuesday for “grossly” misinterpreting some of the statements made by Pope Francis in order to “get us in line with their (agenda).”

Good News. DOJ 'Abandons' Suit Against Louisiana School Voucher Program

A win for Bobby Jindal. A win for Catholics. A win for kids.

The Obama administration's Justice Department has dropped a lawsuit aiming to stop a school voucher program in the state of Louisiana. A ruling Friday by a United States district court judge revealed that the federal government has "abandoned" its pursuit of an injunction against the Louisiana Scholarship Program, a state-funded voucher program designed to give students in failing public schools the opportunity to attend better performing public or private schools.

Some Exchanges Cover Abortion, Not Hearing Aids

Hey, you don't need hearing aids to have sex with someone you're not particularly fond of:

Multiple individual plans available on the D.C. health insurance exchange specifically cover elective abortion but not hearing aids, routine foot-care, and routine eye-care. One such plan, Healthy Blue PPO $1500 (you can check it out on the DC Healthlink website here), has a summary on the D.C. exchange’s website titled “Excluded Services & Other Covered Services.” It says enrollees can receive coverage for abortions performed for a non-medical reasons, but not for a number of other services that could seem medically necessary. The plan also excludes coverage for some other procedures, including cosmetic surgery, bariatric surgery, and infertility treatment.

My Mother's Tears

Aggie Catholics has this excellent piece:

A while back, my mom sent me this article on abortion and the cost of abortion to our nation. I told her the following quote struck me: "Abortion was not a cause, but a reflection of our decadence and deviancy. One does not begin to kill babies until other dominos have fallen. And once they have fallen, it becomes difficult to set them aright because to do so would require an admission of something so horrible that those responsible for this fetal holocaust would have to acknowledge their sin and repent of it. Such a thing is not a character trait of this most pampered generation." My mother and father raised all of us to be very pro-life. They modeled it by showing how everyone needs to be loved.

Sherry's Coming of Age and Coming Clean

She's hilarious. I can't count the number of times I've brushed my teeth with Superman toothpaste.

Recently, I watched Fr. Barron's series on Catholicism. It's quite good. At one point, he takes us to tour the room where Saint Katharine Drexel worked and lived. He shows relics, examples of her extreme poverty including stubbed pencils. She gave away everything and wasted nothing. I need more spiritual growth to reach her level.

Dem Senator: "We All Knew" Obama was Lying

She admits it. Now.

On Sunday, appearing on ABC’s This Week with fill-in host Martha Raddatz, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) admitted that Democrats knew full well that Americans would be booted from their health insurance plans as an effect of Obamacare implementation.

Religious Superior Allegedly Kidnapped Confreres to Ensure Re-election

Wow. This guy really wanted to win.

Italian police arrested the superior general of the Camillian Fathers and Brothers on suspicion of kidnapping after he allegedly tried to prevent two Camillian Fathers opposed to his election from attending the order’s general chapter. Fr. Renato Salvatore, who was re-elected at chapter meeting in May, and five other men were arrested by Italy’s finance police Nov. 6.

50 Ways to Talk To God

Meg Hunter-Kilmer writes a great piece:

I know there are people out there–lots of them–who show up Sunday morning and call it good for the week. I know there are people who check Catholic on forms but don’t have any kind of a relationship with Christ. I guess I just figured there was a solid core of believers who were in love with Christ–or at least trying to be. But I’m reading Sherry Weddell’s Forming Intentional Disciples and it’s breaking my heart. Almost half of Catholics, she says, don’t believe God is a personal God. They don’t even believe it’s possible to have a relationship with him. Most of us don’t pray beyond what’s required and when we do it’s not about love so much as a sense of duty. We might be committed to the Church, but we’re not really committed to Christ.

Marilynne Robinson on Flannery O'Connor's Journal

I've gone through phases with Flannery O'Connor. Sometimes I love her and other times I find her too dark. But I found this interesting:

This slender, charming book must be approached with a special tact. To read it feels a little like an intrusion on inwardness itself. The volume contains, alongside a lightly corrected transcription, a facsimile of the Sterling notebook in which Flannery O’Connor, just 20 years old, began a journal addressed to God. Written in her neat hand, it is reproduced complete with the empty final pages (her concluding words are “there is nothing left to say of me”) and not omitting a bit of musical notation floating on the inside of the back cover. The prayers, attempts at prayer and meditations on faith and art contained in it were written in 1946 and 1947, while O’Connor was a student in Iowa. The brilliance that would make her fictions literary classics is fully apparent in them.

Legendary Comedy Writer Converts to Catholicism

Says, "I began to identify with Our Lady."

"I am a fan, but not a mad fan,” I assure Tom Leopold when we meet for coffee on a foggy day in west London. Leopold is a renowned comedy writer who wrote sketches for Bob Hope and worked on Seinfeld, Cheers and Will and Grace, to name but a few items on his long list of credits. At Easter 2009, he converted to Catholicism, and he describes his journey to the Church in his one-man show “A Comedy Writer Finds God”. Currently he is in London for a six-week stint as a writer on The Kumars, a comedy series about an Indian family in Britain.

Hotel Profiting from "Room Service Abortions," Offer Discounts

Ugh.

The pro-life organization has released a second investigative video, highlighting what Live Action President Lila Rose has coined "room-service abortions" -- and the hotels that profit off such sinister arrangements.

STOP THE PRESSES: Bad news for liberals who have hijacked Pope Francis!

Fr. Z reports:

Here is something that really caught my eye. If this is the real thing, if… this is the real thing… this is huge. It is plausible, but I want to take it with just a grain of salt. This smells pretty Italian. If this is not denied by Fr. Lombardi tomorrow, this is HUGE, with a capital H and capital UGE.

Abp. Chaput: The Feminine Genius

A conference worth looking at.

Over the past two years, we've spent a lot of time dealing with challenges in the life of our local Church. We've made good progress, thanks to the hard work of a great many people. But fixing problems isn't an end in itself. That's just a beginning. The point of our work is to clear away obstacles to the joy of knowing Jesus Christ and to a life rooted in the Gospel. We had a taste of that joy last weekend, November 9, with the wonderful success of the Magnificat Day gathering – a combination of beautiful worship, common prayer and great presentations. Events like Magnificat Day feed the soul and renew the hope at the heart of Catholic life.

Who Kidnapped the Nuns on the Bus?

Showcasing the hypocrisy of the Nuns on the Bus, Catholic Vote alleges a felony kidnapping of poor Sister Simone Campbell:

Please, quick. Somebody call the police. It appears that someone has kidnapped not only the nun-celebrity Sister Simone Campbell, but her entire bus, all the nuns on her bus, and most devastating of all, her resolute determination to cruise around with her Nuns on the Bus and rid the country of uninsured Americans. She had to have been kidnapped, right?

Why Abp. Chaput Should Never Have Spoken to the Nat'l Catholic Reporter

American Catholic reports:

Archbishop Charles Chaput of the Philadelphia Archdiocese has been unfairly depicted as a critic of Pope Francis. This stems from an interview he had with John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter. (John Allen is a good reporter but PopeWatch wonders about the judgment of any member of the hierarchy who has an interview with any representative of NCR.) The interview may be read here. PopeWatch fails to see how any fair minded reading of this interview could be taken as criticism of the Pope. The bitter comments of the deranged readers of NCR are, as always, a true hoot.

Whittaker Chambers is to Blame for the Tea Party

Jonah Goldberg counters:

A friend sent me a link to Cass Sunstein’s absolutely ridiculous column last week, but I didn’t have a chance to get to it. And now The Weekly Standard and Walter Russell Mead have beaten me to the punch. But while they both do a good job, I don’t think either go nearly far enough. In his column, Sunstein runs through the basic facts of the Hiss-Chambers case, which I don’t need — I hope — to rehash here. But at the end of a column titled, “How the Alger Hiss Case Explains the Tea Party” he writes:

Jewish Mag Honors Francis, Slams Benedict XVI

As much as I love to see the love which greets Pope Francis, this attack on Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is completely unfair.

American magazine Forward has included Pope Francis in its list of top 50 Jewish figures, in the “PLUS” category, highlighting his contribution to the Catholic Church’s relations with the Jews. But part of the reason he was included was to launch a strong attack on Benedict XVI

Best Piece in the Catholic Blogosphere Today

To be fair I haven't read the whole Catholic blogosphere today so I don't know that it's the best. But I can say Kate Wicker's latest piece is amazing. True. Funny. A bit heartbreaking. And completely relatable. Please read it.

This morning my sweet 2-year-old boy delicately cupped my chin in his dimpled hands, widened his bright, brown eyes, and said to me, “Do laundry. Make dinner.” I have to admit I was expecting him to profess his unfettered love to me, not give me a to-do list. I laughed at this unexpected moment but if I’m completely honest, my heart felt an ounce heavier, too.

Vid: Atheists, Secularists Interrupt Prayer Outside Supreme Court

They can't stand prayer. Any prayer.

Atheists not only want to ban prayer inside government, but also block prayer outside the government - or so they expressed via their actions on the steps the Supreme Court during the Town of Greece v. Galloway case. The Christian Defense Coalition (CDC) and Faith and Action sponsored a prayer vigil at the Supreme Court for "religion freedom" in reaction to the case and in support Christian prayer. During the vigil, self-professed atheists, humanists and secularists repeatedly interrupted Biblical readings and prayers.

Attitude About Adoption Key to Abortion Battle

We must promote adoption.

ABORTION will end when the attitude towards adoption changes, guest speak-er Dr Joanna Howe said at the Cherish Life Queensland fundraising dinner on November 8. Dr Howe, 30, is a law lecturer at the Uni-versity of Adelaide, and a former NSW Rhod-es Scholar.

Sarah Palin: 'Angry Atheists' Wage War Against Christmas

She was right about death panels. She's right about this.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says America's celebration of Christmas is being hijacked by "angry atheists"bent on eroding the nation's cherished religious freedoms.

Bishops Create Position to Aid Post-Abortion Healing

Helping women.

The U.S. bishops have voted to add a bishops’ conference staff member to work with the post-abortion healing ministry Project Rachel at a national level, citing growing demand for help. “Over the past several years, diocesan interest in and expansion of post-abortion healing ministries have dramatically increased,” Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, the chair of the U.S. bishops’ pro-life activities committee, said at the assembly Nov. 12.

Rebecca Goes to a Strange Parish, Wonderful Things Ensue

Rebecca Frech writes of a very special encounter:

The older kids and I went to a different parish for Mass last night. The events of the day had run longer than expected, and by the time we realized it we were too late for the 5pm Mass. A quick Google search led us to the ugly parish that we had studiously avoided when we moved here two and a half years ago. We were so turned off by its modern architecture that we never even gave it a chance. In doing so, we missed something truly special. When we walked into the narthex last night, we were immediately greeted by an energetically friendly man who pumped our hands and loudly welcomed us. He hugged me and loudly exclaimed "I'm so happy to see all of you!" He then turned to the people coming in after us and greeted them in the same overly affectionate manner. While it was obvious that he had some degree of mental retardation, it was equally apparent that he was a regular fixture at the door and that no one minded his being there....quite the opposite, in fact, everyone who walked through the door seemed as delighted to seem him as he was to see them.

Vatican to Start Cricket Team

Lawn darts to follow?

Some 500 years after England’s King Henry VIII broke with the Roman Catholic Church, the Vatican is vowing to defeat the Church of England — not in the pews, but on the cricket pitch. The Vatican has launched its own cricket club — a move aimed at forging ties with teams of other faiths. Rome’s Capannelle Cricket Club is hosting training matches that will lead to the creation of the Vatican team, the St. Peter’s Cricket Club.

Guard Who Pepper Sprayed Pro-Lifers Guilty of Assault

You're only allowed to assault the unborn at abortion clinics, not the grownups too.

A guard who works at the last remaining abortion facility in Mississippi was found guilty of four counts of simple assault this past week for pepper-spraying several Christians who were praying and singing hymns on the public sidewalk.

How to Be Reverent at Church according to Those Under the Age of 3

Hilarious list from Sherry.

10) Even if you are a baby, you know it is important to sing at mass. But knowing when to sing can be difficult because the adults are sometimes shy about singing. A simple solution is to sing perpetually. The grown ups will join in if the timing is right. 9) Likewise, because adults are very distractable, the best way to make them long to focus on the liturgy is to squirm and grab the noses of any human within range and then go stiff and and alternatively drape sideways and boneless. Constant motion will make them long to give the homily their full attention. 8) Now we small ones cannot always fast through the mass. But our eating does remind everyone else, that as adults, they are supposed to sublimate their appetites.

"In God We Trust" Too Religious to Hang in School

Do they not accept money because that says "In God We Trust" as well.

A North Carolina school refused to hang posters depicting an American Flag and the national motto “In God We Trust” because their legal counsel feared the signs would be seen as promoting religion. The American Legion offered the free posters to the Watauga County School District, but found the 130 framed images unwanted.

Novus Horror Missae: The Downside of VIP Masses

The Eponymous Flower reports:

(Rome) Horror Mass.: If the real thing is not understood and therefore "boring", it will have to be helped by special individual and creative design. The actress, dancer and former porn actress Carmen Russo (54) was on the 19th of October at the parish church of San Lorenzo in Formello, Rome, to baptize their daughter Maria. The Baptism was celebrated by Don Santino Spartà, the "pastor" of the VIP scene. The baptism was for show, including a dance performance by Carmen Russo with her husband at the altar. Don Santino was dressed with his clerics, and only a white floor length surplice through which street pants showed and a floor length stole. No chasuble.

ReplaceMe">Continue reading>>>

A Love Story Like None Other

Wow.

One day last month, September 2013, HelpfulGrammy and I lost a grandchild. Our daughter, Maria, miscarried at 6½ weeks. As sad as that was, there came to be an element of joy in what happened, a joy that can only come from the strength of true faith. Let me explain.

Polish "Artist" gets naked and rubs against Crucifix

I don't think "art" means what he thinks it means:

I was horrified by a recent “art” article to be delivered to my email. I debated even mentioning it, but have decided I HAVE to, so that we can all PRAY to God for mercy, forgiveness and repentance on behalf of the truly sick and demonic people who are doing these terrible things. While this story will no doubt sicken you, please pray for this “artist” and those like him. He is truly in the clutches of the demonic. Polish priest, Father Tadeusz Rydzyk has filed a complaint against the “Ministry of Culture” (in Poland) after discovering an “art exhibit” where “artist” Jacek Markiewicz gets naked and rubs his body against a crucifix and licks the body of Christ.

Teacher Calls Parent "Neo-Nazi" for Questioning Assignment

Hilarious...in a kind of our culture is degrading before our eyes kind of way.

A Pennsylvania father objected when his daughter’s middle-school history teacher assigned a project about a New York Times article blaming Republicans for the government shutdown. His complaint apparently made him the target of an orchestrated response by faculty at Camp Hill Middle School, and an English teacher named Cydnee Cohen left a voicemail message for one of the parent’s Facebook friends: “We’re having some problems with a parent in our school district and on his page you are one of his friends…but I would like to know, some of it seems like he is a neo-nazi…call me…” Bonus absurdity: The allegedly “neo-Nazi” parent, Josh Barry, is Jewish.

And That’s Why I’ve Got More Children Than You Think I Should

Kasey writes:

Wait a sec, let’s start out with a little honesty here. I actually have more children than I thought I should have, too, so I’m not casting stones. I’m just throwing back the curtain to expose a few myths that have polluted my childbearing years with guilt and regret. I began my journey into motherhood 16 years ago this month. But wait, that’s not true either. My first child was born 16 years ago and was delivered one day after his due date which means my journey really began 16 years and 9 months ago. Goodness, where does the time go? Anyway, my point is I’ve spent more than a decade and a half being drilled on all the reasons why I should stop having children. Or to be more accurate, I’ve been schooled on all the logic of why I should have stopped several children ago. It’s good to be enlightened, you know, on the many means of prevention available in this modern-day. Because any woman worth her salt simply refuses to have more children than is seemly. Or than can fit nicely into the comfortable lifestyle of choice. And any man with a shred of decency will offer himself up to be surgically altered for the sake of ending the madness.

Training Your Children to be Urban Legend Detectors

Draper John Warren writes:

Of all the cultures and all the philosophies and all the religions which have been known in the world of men, none have placed truth on as high a pedestal as the Catholic Faith. Truth is literally our God. Truth is one of the Divine attributes, and each of God’s attributes is identical with His Essence. Thus, we rightly say “God IS Love” and “God IS Truth,” and “God IS Good.” We worship Truth. We adore Truth. Our fidelity to the truth is a sacred duty.

Forever Singing

Absolutely wonderful piece from Sherry.

A weekly task in this household involves a trip to the dry cleaner. Because this chore falls to me and has for over a decade, I've come to know the people who work at the store if not on a first time basis, enough to be able to joke around. One woman however, began sharing with me the story of her life. She asked me to pray when her brother died. Later, again as her father passed on and she wasn't able to attend, given that there was a whole ocean and islands between her and her family, she begged me to pray. We know each has a lively faith though we've never talked specifics. She always gives me a big smile. I'm always a bit sad when my friend isn't there. It is a touch of lightness in the midst of doing the dutiful and mundane. She knows my name. I regret, I've yet to really wrap my brain around hers, though I've asked and sought to remember.

Vatican spokesman says no plans for women cardinals -- but not impossible, either

Liberal hearts aflutter:

The Holy See yesterday dismissed as “nonsense” weekend Irish media reports that Pope Francis might nominate two Irish women as cardinals. Responding to reports in Irish and Irish-American media that Pope Francis might name both TCD ecumenics Prof Linda Hogan and former president Mary McAleese as cardinals at a future conclave, senior Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi said:

Principals of Top Catholic High Schools Fear Common Core Will Harm Their Schools

The Catholic Education Daily reports:

Principals of America’s leading Catholic high schools are concerned about the impact that adopting the national “Common Core” standards could have on their schools’ Catholic identity, according to a survey of Catholic High School Honor Roll winners conducted by The Cardinal Newman Society. The principals opposeCatholic schools rushing to adopt the Common Core standards, which are not yet completed and have been criticized by a growing number of education experts and parent organizations.

7 Facts About Assisted Suicide

Margaret Dore, an attorney and president of Choice is an Illusion, writes:

1. Assisted Suicide Assisted suicide means that someone provides the means and/or information for another person to commit suicide. When a physician is involved, the practice is physician-assisted suicide.[1] 2. The Oregon and Washington Laws In Oregon, physician-assisted suicide was legalized in 1997 via a ballot measure.[2] In Washington State, a similar law was passed via another ballot measure in 2008 and went into effect in 2009.[3] 3. Throwing Away Your Life The Oregon and Washington laws apply to state residents predicted to have less than six months to live.[5] Such persons are not necessarily dying. Doctors can be wrong.

The Truth about Galileo

I wonder how many people believe that Galileo was tortured or even executed by the Catholic Church? I'd bet a lot. Here's the truth:

Galileo Galilei has been disinterred, times without number, by the opponents of papal infallibility, and made to pronounce judgment against all such pretended claims. He has been portrayed as a martyr championing the cause of science against the Vatican obscurantists, as one tortured by the Inquisition, cast out of the Church's pale, and refused Christian burial. For these and other mythical reasons we Catholics are expected to feel nervously uneasy when the name of Galileo is mentioned — much as though a skeleton was in danger of being dragged from the cupboard to cast a shadow upon our good name.

RNS: CS Lewis Was an Occultist Who Hung Out with Chesterton.

Oh my. Can I get a fact check here?

Religion News Service dropped a brick (several in fact) in its article entitled “Fifty years later, C.S. Lewis’ legacy shines in US, not his homeland”, making mistakes of fact that fans of Lewis would spot in an instant.

17-Year-Old Pressured by Clinic to Have a Late-Term Abortion, Refuses

National Right to Life News reports:

I recently read an account from a 17-year-old who was 24 weeks pregnant and was pressured by abortion clinic workers to abort her baby. The testimony appeared in the book Bitter Fruit: Women’s Experiences with Unplanned Pregnancy, Abortion, and Adoption. I did not find this book to be biased towards the pro-life position. The author seems to take, as far as is possible, a neutral stand. Nowhere in the book does she condemn abortion or claim that adoption or parenting are better options.

Tennis Star Robbed of Rosary Blessed by Pope

Hey, with Pope Francis I half expect him to play in a doubles match with the dude.

Argentine tennis player Juan Martin Del Potro has revealed that he was robbed at a Paris railway station with thieves making off with a cherished rosary blessed by Pope Francis. Del Potro was checking in at Gare de Nord in the French capital when he stopped to sign an autograph. As he placed his bag on the floor, the thieves made off with his possessions which also included his passport and cash. "I was doing the check-in to ride on the train and then I was asked for an autograph. I turned around to sign it and within 20 seconds (my bag) had been stolen," Del Potro said through his press service. His rosary "which I take everywhere" was blessed by Pope Francis when Del Potro played at the Rome Masters earlier this year.

Students Respond to Halloween Vandalization of their Catholic School

Must read of the day:

Dozens of windows and doors at St. Bernadette Catholic Church and School in Rockford IL, were shot out on Halloween night. The destruction was extensive as very large windows in the school were destroyed along with a stained glass window in the Church and large glass doors were shattered. Halloween night is often used by hoodlums as an excuse to desecrate Christian places of worship and education. But this time the students of this school are the ones who are giving our community a real education in Christian forgiveness.

Followers

Advertisment2

Follow Us

Politics Of Personal Instruction

"Catholic Church Architecture and the Spirit of the Liturgy"

Liturgical Institute

Advertisement

Mystic Monk

Advertisment

Contact Us

News & Views

Blog Archive

Statistics

Popular Posts

Ticker

Statistics