Amy Welborn: May 2009 Archives

More in the morning.

Sorry for the silence. It was an unrelenting day.

I tried to think of various other adjectives.  Hard, harsh, brutal, difficult...they were all either too dramatic or inadequate in other ways. Unrelenting fits.

It had not seemed as if it would be a big deal. The only things left in the house are in the basement, and most of them were already boxed. But once I got down there, I really started thinking, once again, about books.

(We keep going over and over this. Over the past three years, I have given away hundreds of books - mostly to local Catholic parish libraries and the public library bookshop. I thought I was done, but...)

...but well, I got there and started contemplating the books left - and there are still a lot. Well, were a lot. And by the end of the day, I had reopened many boxes, repacked, resealed, and taken a huge haul to the very surprised lady at the Salvation Army. Not many religion books - mostly things like coffee table books I'd inherited or absorbed along the way that no one had ever looked at, a bunch - I mean a bunch of history books I had kept in case any of my children ever needed to read, say John Demos - but I finally figured, you know...if they need to read John Demos, they probably will be needing to read an edition newer than a ragged copy from 1979.

So that took a while.

And there was miscellaneous stuff that I had not yet packed down there, and there was cleaning to do and....it was pretty exhausting.

In the midst of it, we hit the Cathedral for Mass. Such a lovely Cathedral, if you ever get a chance to stop by, and one of those in which a renovation was done right and with respect.

It was hard being  in town, and frankly, I do not like being here. It is just too, too painful for reasons that go beyond what you think.  I want to get away - so I am.

We are heading eastward on an adventure tomorrow, and I hope I'll be able to post a pic or two tomorrow night to let you know where.

Some people drink, others eat - I have obsessively researched travel destinations for the past three months or so. Notice the wording: "researched" not "planned." Accommodations are set, and that's about it. I was never a big planner and find myself even less so these days, even verging on the militantly anti-planning.

After all...what's the point?

Well, on a more hopeful note, there was the Pentecost Vigil. Back to that. It was the Vigil, with the proper readings and all. The second reading grabbed me, not only because I had used what Paul said about prayer in a talk I gave last week to a women's group, but because of this, the whole Word, tossed at me once again, God asking me...so..here you are praying and professing and stuff. Do you really believe it?

Brothers and sisters:
We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now;
and not only that, but we ourselves,
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
we also groan within ourselves
as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
For in hope we were saved.
Now hope that sees is not hope.
For who hopes for what one sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.

In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.
And the one who searches hearts
knows what is the intention of the Spirit,
because he intercedes for the holy ones
according to God's will.

Now hope that sees is not hope.

There is something quite nearby. I can sense it. I think that if I just reach out, I can touch it, maybe even hold it. But I am resistant, even afraid. It is ridiculous to keep eying it with suspicion and even resentment.

....comes to the aid of our weakness....

The house in The Fort has been sold, basically.

It is a huge relief.

We are heading up there this weekend to do a final cleanout. The basement is full of stuff that we couldn't fit in the apartment and just decided to leave for the moment. Now it must be moved and sorted. I sorted through some of it when I went up in March - or April - whenever that was, but more sorting and sifting needs to happen now, and movers come Sunday morning to take what's left to a storage cubicle down here.

I think I could do without most of it, anyway. It is mostly books, I think - still. Yet more bloody books. All my good china and other kitchen things. A couple of larger pieces of furniture, which explains why I've engaged movers.

K. will see her friends. They will compare notes at how amazed they are to be seniors now. She keeps asking me, "Isn't it weird?" I say, no it's not - this my third time through it. She is always sort of surprised that I am so encouraging of her growing up and moving on with her life - I have no idea what she hears from her friends and their parents on this score, but I always tell her, "Wouldn't it be odd if I didn't want you to grow up? Would that be love, for me to want to keep you confined to childhood and bound to me? I don't think so."

And yes she passed. She didn't have the proper evidence to prove that she was enrolled in school, though, but they said she could take the test and bring the results in later when she had the right proof. I took a look at the crowd in the waiting room and her place in it, and I said, "Tell me where your student ID is, and I'll go home and get it." Joseph, still in his uniform, wanted to change his clothes anyway.

So we went and retrieved it, returned 45 minutes later...and she still hadn't taken the test. I gave it to her, told me to call me when she was done, went downtown to the Chancery, chatted with the bishop, helped pull together a mailing, discussed a couple of other pieces of business, then decided to go back to the BMV...and she was just that moment finishing up. 2 1/2 hours after we first deposited her. She'd passed - and week after next, we will go out every morning, when Joseph and Michael are safe in Vacation Bible School, and drive, drive, drive.

So that was a productive day. And tomorrow, as I said, we will drive - and then Sunday go on an adventure, which willl be unveiled in this space as we proceed....east from Fort Wayne...

(comments closed, just cause I'm going to be on the road tomorrow...)

Thursday is ridiculous.

Meet with lawyer, sign will, etc., some other stuff.

Give talk to a parish woman's group (agreed to six months ago).

Take Katie to (I hope) get her Learner's Permit (yes, she's 17 and yes, we're late on this, but there have been reasons related mostly to her busy life, but I tell you that I think have 1 1/2 less years of biting my fingernails with worry every time she hits the road has been not a bad thing.) - but now's the time.

Miscellaneous other matters, including getting ready for a bit of travel. More on that as it unfolds. A bit of a surprise travelogue coming.

I did the worst thing ever today - something I swore I would never do, something that was never even a temptation before - bought a portable DVD player for the car. With the amount of driving we're about to do, having one adult busy driving and one teenager to deal with two little boys in the back seat...I couldn't even fathom it. So I relented, and I 'm sure they thought God has for some reason given them a new Mommy when I walked in with the box this afternoon.

Of course it will probably break 30 minutes into the first viewing of Star Wars, so that will be that.

So to tide you over - here's some Pope reading. I've got to get my Eschatology post up before this trip - I really loved the book and want to share it with you, as well as write about The Rite. I hope I can get to that Thursday night, as well as an another ruminating (is "ruminous" a word? Should be) post. Non-grief related. I think. Although in the end, it probably will be.

So back to the Pope.

Here's his homily from last Sunday, in Cassino:

(I will say this about that - much of what absorbed me in Eschatology is condensed in this homily.)

In Christ ascended into heaven, man has entered in a new and unheard of way into the intimacy of God; man now finds space in God forever. "Heaven" does not indicate a place beyond the stars but something more bold and sublime: it indicates Christ himself, the divine Person that completely and forever takes on humanity, he in whom God and man are united forever. And we draw near to heaven, indeed, we enter into heaven, to the extent that we draw near to Jesus and enter into communion with him. For this reason, today's Solemnity of the Ascension invites us to a profound communion with Jesus dead and risen, invisibly present in the life of each of us.

Theology Prof Miguel Diaz:

A Hispanic Roman Catholic theologian from Minnesota who advised Barack Obama's presidential campaign is the Obama administration's choice to serve as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican.

The White House announced Wednesday that it will nominate Miguel H. Diaz, an associate professor of theology at the College of St. Benedict and St. John's University in Collegeville, Minn., for the post.

Diaz, 45, a Cuban-American, was a member of the Obama campaign's Catholic advisory board. He was among 26 Catholics who signed a statement supporting the nomination of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, a Catholic whose support for abortion rights was criticized by conservative Catholics.

Diaz earned his bachelor's degree from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul in 1988 and his master's and doctoral degrees from University of Notre Dame in 1992 and 2000, respectively.

From his bio at St. John's:

Theological consultant on the Collegeville Ministry Seminar II (advancing the theology of vocation and authorization for lay ecclesial ministry) co-sponsored by Saint John's School of Theology·Seminary and the USCCB (2009- ).

Invited colloquist for the 2008-2009 Wabash Consultation on Excellence in Teaching for Latino/a Faculty at Colleges, Universities, and Theological Schools, 2008-2009.

Board Member of the Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA), 2008-2010.

Member of the Karl Rahner Society (KRS) and a board member of the KRS steering committee.

Member of Barack Obama's Catholic advisory group during the 2008 presidential campaign. In recognition of his participation in the advisory council, Dr. Díaz and his wife Marian received an invitation to the inaugural events. Dr. Díaz's involvement in the campaign and participation in the inaugural events were both covered extensively in a variety of media.

President of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States (ACHTUS), 2006-07.

Colloquist with Walter Cardinal Kasper at the Duquesne University Annual Holy Spirit Lecture and Colloquium entitled,"The Spirit in the New Millennium," 2006.

Invited to participate at the CTSA annual convention in San Antonio in a discussion of Rahner Beyond Rahner, 2006.

Invited to participate in a national conversation on immigration organized by Interfaith Worker Justice, Chicago, IL, March 2006.

Invited to participate as a theological consultant to the Catholic Alliance for the Common Good, Washington, DC, January, 2006.

Organized the 2006 annual colloquium of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States (ACHTUS) in conjunction with the Black Catholic Theological Symposium (BCTS).

Invited by Br. Dietrich Reinhart, OSB, President of Saint John's University to co-chair the president's Inter-Cultural Directions Council (IDC), 2005-.

I have to say, apart from church politics kinds of issues...an interesting choice for a diplomatic position...I'm not quite seeing it.

Two appointments today:Msgr. John Barros, priest of the Wilmington diocese, as bishop of Allentown, PAandArchdioceses of St. Paul-Minneapolis Vicar General Msgr. Lee Anthony Piché as Auxiliary there....

Over the course of the year, he took a little Latin class.They met after school, it had a conversational bent (yes), it was informal and small, and he learned some things.At the end of the year, they had a party....

Yeah, my head wasn't here for a few days. For the usual reasons - I have all kinds of thoughts going on, but don't quite have them sorted out enough for publication. There's all kinds of other stuff going on...

Fr. Robert Imbelli,a professor of theology at Boston Collegewrites on Obama and Notre Dame in a piece printed by Sandro Magister:(He begins by analzying the speech, highlighting some aspects not mentioned by many others, and then turns to Judge Noonan's...

Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin in the Irish Times:The first thing the church has to do is to move out of any mode of denial. That was the position for far too long and it is still there.Yes, there was abuse...

They've redesigned. It looks sharp. With additional blogs - the Anchoress and Wesley Smith have moved over there, and there's a new blog, "Icons and Curiosities" about oddness in religious ephemera....

Irish novelist John Banville said everyone knewIreland from 1930 to the late 1990s was a closed state, ruled -- the word is not too strong -- by an all-powerful Catholic Church with the connivance of politicians and, indeed, the populace...

A bomb in the  city's Catholic Church: Two people, one of them a teenager, were killed and 14 wounded on Saturday when a bomb exploded in a packed church on the outskirts of the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, police said.The church...

Wendy Wright of Concerned Women of America writes in Human Events of the specific nature of the conversations that have taken place in the Obama - administration-sponsored meetings about abortion, seeking to find common ground:This meeting took place two days...

Begin here.(No photos today - good food, but really not worth photographing)(Food - even sans photo. Katie had some sort of sandwich which she declared "okay" boys had shrimp  & grits - if by "shrimp & grits" you mean "what...

..at Whole Foods, where the wine buyer was tasting the offerings of a vendor at the table next to where I had parked myself with my computer (free wi-fi), my books, my journal and my cup of some sort of...

One of the books recommended to me of late has been NT Wright's Surprised by Hope, his book published last year in which he takes on death, resurrection and the eschaton.At its publication, the usual objections which are usually raised...

Today's the day to start it - Clayton Emmer has the information, and a way to download it on your calendar file. Whatever that means!For more on novenas, period - check out Michael's book....

Update from the comments section: Our parish in another Southwest diocese, is also involved in similar work through another Ugandan Catholic priest who spends a month with us every year. The first year he was ministering with us, one of...

The new Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, will be installed on Thursday, but what is dominating Catholic news in England and Ireland this week is the release of the final report of the "Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse" in...

ND Response has put texts and videos up on their websiteAll the texts from all the speeches and homilies. It's there. So before anyone emotes about what those objecting to ND's honor of Obama were really up to, please read...

In the post below, I asked a couple of questions, and the comments, while mostly good, strayed quickly from the questions, moving quite naturally, to the difficulties of dialogue.(comments are closed down there now.)As conversations about dialogue on the abortion...

....about dialogue.Over the past few days everyone has discovered dialogue about the abortion issue and decided it hasn't been happening, and it's about time. Whether that is true or not, let's lay it out. Some beginning questions. 1) Who are...

Nicholas Kristof is devoting time and energy to writing about maternal mortality in the developing world - his Sunday column:Take Mariama, a 21-year-old pregnant woman with a 3-year-old child living in a village here in southern Sierra Leone. Mariama started...

This is from a week ago. I didn't post it at the time...just because. Forgot about it for a few days. Might as well. How it all works in and through a day.Exercise around the lake across the back road....

Okay, for a change of pace. I will be posting more book-centered stuff (by me and others) and moving into more personal blogging this week as well. It's something I have to work up to, though, and process and pray...

Well not really, but maybe on this past weekend's festivities.Two posts at other blogs with megalinks to texts and commentary. Between the two, they've got you covered.Carl OlsonOpinionated CatholicWell, maybe not. Here are a few more that's flashed across the...

This year is the 400th anniversary of the death of Matteo Ricci, the great and fascinating Jesuit missionary to China.His home diocese in Italy is planning celebrations in his honor, and the Pope has sent a message:The Pope writes of...

Vatican's getting deeper into Web 2.0:The Vatican is launching iPhone and Facebook applications in an effort to help Catholics, especially younger generations, use new technologies to create a culture of dialogue, respect and friendship. The new applications are part of...

I've had a couple of comments saying that the Obama/Notre Dame controversy had come up in a homily here and there..so I was wondering how extensive that might be. Nothing at my parish, nor would I expect there to be....

There will be, we can hope, an increasing number of conversations about reducing the number of abortions in this country - President Obama has said that this is something his administration will work on. The National Catholic Register has an...

Here's what the president of Trinity (a Catholic college in DC - obligatory Nancy Pelosi's ('62) alma mater reference here) has to say about yesterday's events:And these were not remarks in an interview - this was the content of her...

Stanley Fish continues talking about and with atheists on his NYTimes blog. Opening paragraph:According to recent surveys, somewhere between 79 and 92 percent of Americans believe in God. But if the responses to my column on Terry Eagleton's "Faith, Reason...

I'm sure accounts of this past weekend's activities sponsored by NDResponse will soon be filtering out...here's a good one to get us started, from Dierdre Mundy, who sent it into Erin Manning:The speakers at the rally weren't terribly famous, but...

(Photo, Reuters, via NCRegister)I'll post interesting ones here as they come in.Michael Sean Winters, an Obama supporter with whom I agree sometimes and disagree others, and who often surprises me, gives Obama an C-. What disappoints here is that the...

Hash it out.So, what's the post-speech meme going to be?I'll take a shot at it - because Obama was rapturously welcomed at Notre Dame and delivered a good-sounding speech well, "the bishops lost."Does that sound about right?I want to work...

The text:Thank you, Father Jenkins for that generous introduction. You are doing an outstanding job as president of this fine institution, and your continued and courageous commitment to honest, thoughtful dialogue is an inspiration to us all. Good afternoon Father...

There are several places you can go for this:Cathy Grossman at USAToday has enlisted Joseph Lawler (2008 ND grad), Msgr. Francis Maniscalco, Sr. Joan Chittister and Michael Sean Winters to liveblog Obama's speech. John Norton of OSV is there and...

Lots of commentary on this Time piece, not only because it exists, but because Drudge chose to link it.The talking point is rising fast in outside commentary - James Carroll makes it the focus of his column today at the...

...by making me look at Tom Hanks in a Speedo.Okay, so it was through a layer of water, but still. What was that supposed to accomplish in my psyche?So, yeah, went to see it. It's showing every half hour  or...

It's hardly ever because I don't have anything to say. It's because I have too much to say, and I can't sort out how to say it best, and am letting it sit. So, okay, I'll do the easy stuff...

Okay, one more. Thanks to Cheryl in the comments (see...it is possible to enter a comment succesfully!) for pointing out Liz Lev's piece at Zenit on her interactions with the A & D crew:I spent almost two years with the...

Well, I think the derision dripping from all sides is doing the job, so perhaps I won't have to. I really don't know what I can add to A.O. Scott, Steven Greydanus and a lot of other reviewers, detailed at...

Benedict left the Holy Land today. The schedule, via The Blog:Jerusalem07.30 - Private Mass in the Chapel of the Apostolic Delegation to Jerusalem 09.15 - Ecumenical meeting in the Throne Hall of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem 10.15 -...

I think...then I'll move on to other topics.Jody Bottum goes to Notre Dame one more time, looking at this week's responses, and especially responses to his previous pieces.I think the most commented aspect of what he wrote has been his...

The questions are being raised in the comments boxes. Ron, for example:The supposed "common ground" between the Obama Democrats and pro-lifers is support for poor women who might otherwise be inclined to choose abortion. Ann's comments here are very relevant....

It's a familiar claim directed at the pro-life movement, and I don't doubt we'll hear much of it in the next few days, perhaps even voiced by President Obama in his speech on Sunday. The simple version goes like this:*The...

Brian Saint-Paul looks at recent polling indicating a gradual shift in opinion on abortion rights.For the first time since Gallup began polling on the question 15 years ago, more Americans now describe themselves as "Pro-Life" than they do "Pro-Choice," and...

Obama speaks at Notre Dame on Sunday...what happens Monday?Presenting...the Monday Project.A fundraising project for Crisis Pregnancy Centers...even if you don't participate in this particular effort - it's still a good idea....

Several are rolling out...(links after the jump. Ben Witherington III isn't on this list, but he has said he's moving here, too.)(And if you would like to give Beliefnet any suggestions about the formats of these blogs and the commenting...

Aquinas and More - the great Catholic bookstore that exists both in brick n'mortar form out in Colorado and online - is once again sponsoring its Summer Reading Program - the first step is to go to the website and...

From the Benedict in Israel blog:10.00 - Holy Mass on the Mount of Precipice in Nazareth 12.30 - Luncheon with the Ordinaries of the Holy Land, the Franciscan community and the Papal Entourage in the Franciscan convent of Nazareth 15.50...

Okay, I haven't watched Lost since February, and I haven't bothered to catch up. I figure I'll do that this summer at some point. Plus, tonight, I had to great pleasure of hanging out with Dorian and Paul for a...

And a flock of cardinals! Duck!Yeah, I bought the book - secondhand, so no royalties were exchanged - but it's still sitting on my desk. I can't even be bothered to crack it open. The movie's coming, and I think...

A couple more notes:First, First Things has posted the text of Jody Bottum's full article, a preview of which was published at the Weekly Standard. Well, not exactly. The First Things article is quite different from the WS - not...

I can't remember.Here's Fr. Jenkins' letter to the Class of '09:May 11, 2009 Dear Members of the Notre Dame Graduating Class of 2009: This Sunday, as you receive your degrees at Commencement, your joy - and that of your families...

...to go with Julia Duin's article of a few days ago..A 16-year old girl reflects on her baby brother's "brief, holy life"(thanks to commenter Cheri for pointing it out.)...

.to abortion-rights-supporting feminists everywhere. Sweden approves gender-based abortions Swedish women will be permitted to abort their children based on the sex of the fetus, according to a ruling by Sweden's National Board of Health and Welfare. The ruling was spurred...

Benedict's homily:I thank Almighty God for giving me the grace to come to Bethlehem, not only to venerate the place of Christ's birth, but also to stand beside you, my brothers and sisters in the faith, in these Palestinian Territories....

I really liked this speech by Archbishop Chaput. The Catholic faith is not simply a collection of doctrines and ideas, or a body of knowledge, or even a system of beliefs, although all those things are important. At its root, Christianity...

The schedule: 09.00 - Visit to the Dome of the Rock on Temple Mount in Jerusalem Courtesy visit to the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem at the Mount of the Temple 10.00 - Visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem 10.45...

David Goldman (the former "Spengler" and now an Associate Editor at First Things") writes an intriguing piece on torture, Islam, and American arrogance. (Also remember that Goldman is Jewish and First Things is not, despite many people's misunderstanding of it,...

I am intrigued by comments here and there asserting that the opposition to Barack Obama's role in Notre Dame's commencement must be nothing but politics at work. Politically motivated. Obviously and clearly. Usually "hacks" is used at least once in...

...who might be confused by the tone of this blog.A very old piece - 10 years old, I'd guess. But not much has changed.(Comments closed)...

This time, it will take. I have no recollection of difficulties in getting my three older children to swim. There were sporadic lessons here and there, but I don't recall much resistance. It's been different this time around. I tried...

I'm fairly tired tonight, but will be back tomorrow. Just remember for all the news from today's day in Jerusalem, including texts and the story today's controversies, head to Benedict in Israel.The text of Benedict's words at Yad Vashem:"I will...

Today's that kind of day. I need to go sit in a government waiting area for a while. I'll be back this afternoon - I hope. I'm sure the government waiting area doesn't have wi-fi. I mean, when I went...

Julia Duin of the Washington Times has written a very valuable article telling the stories of mothers who have chosen to bring their seriously disabled babies to term, quite often against the advice - and insistence - of medical professional. ...

The schedule:10.00 - Holy Mass celebrated at the Amman International Stadium Recitation of the Regina Cæli at the Amman International Stadium 12.45 - Luncheon with Patriarchs, Bishops and Papal Entourage at the Latin Vicariate of Amman 17.30 - Visit to...

On Saturday, the Pope attended and preached at Vespers in the Greek-Melkite Cathedral of Saint-George in Amman. Here's the video (90 minutes long - the good chanting starts at about  30 minutes in. So ancient, simple, rich and organic. ) ...

I've not commented much on the cult of personality surrounding the Obamas because while it was evident during the campaign and in the press, I'm never really certain how extensive or deep these sort of things actually run. But this,...

Today's schedule, via Benedict in Israel Blog:07.15 - Private Mass in the Chapel of the Apostolic Nunciature of Amman, Jordan 09.15 - Visit to the ancient Basilica of the Memorial of Moses on Mount Nebo 10.30 - Blessing of the...

By Jody Bottum. A longer version of this will appear in the next, soon-to-be appearing issue of First Things. This preview is in The Weekly Standard:It's not about politics, he says - it's about culture:Meanwhile, in the offices of the...

Three links for you, none a scoop - but it's interesting to toss them all in one post.First, Archbishop Wuerl's interview with Melinda HennebergerNext, Archbishop Burke's speech at the Catholic Prayer Breakfast today.Finally, Archbishop Dolan is interviewed by Maria Anastasia...

I was hoping to make it to the new Saigon Noodle House that's opened in the Target shopping strip just a mile down the road - it's getting raves locally, not just for the noodles, but also for the Banh...

The WSJ reports on meetings being held regarding reducing abortion rates, sponsored by the Obama administration:Interviews with several participants suggest there is some common ground, but plenty of disagreements remain. It will be challenging for the White House to settle...

The Pope has arrived in Jordan. There is, of course, no lack of coverage.The Vatican page for the visit, which is not updated with texts nearly as quickly as news sitesVatican Information Service provides summaries of events, but not necessarily...

Beautiful new ad from Catholic Vote - the second "Imagine the Potential" ad. The first, as you recall, focused on the image of an unborn child, imagining the potential and promise of that child growing up to be the first...

On a Friday night, the blue-tinted Puck crouched onstage, in the shadow of broken, rusted machinery, and spoke to us about dreams. If we shadows have offended, Think but this, and all is mended, That you have but slumber'd...

There's an argument brewing down in a comments box concerning Notre Dame's honoring of Obama and French President Nicoloas Sarkozy being made a canon of St. John Lateran, as is a tradition for French leaders.But as to the "more Catholic...

NRLC claims that the Obama administration's proposed budget urges tax-funded abortions in DC:Today's White House budget submission explicitly urges the House and Senate -- which the President's party currently controls with nearly three-fifths majorities -- to repeal a law (sometimes...

One of the current memes, as we say, making its way through commentary on Obama/Notre Dame and Obama/American Catholics runs something like this:"The Pope and the Vatican don't seem to have a problem with Obama. The Pope sent a congratulatory...

You knew this was coming, didn't you?For several years, exhibits of preserved human bodies have been popular draws. Gunther von Hagen originated the concept and his "Bodyworlds" exhibits are the most extensive, although I think there are others who are...

Today at the GA, Pope Benedict spoke of St. John Damascene.He quoted heavily from the saint's writings, focusing on John's opposition to iconoclasm:Damascene wrote: "In other times, God had never been represented in an image, being incorporeal and without a...

A quick post:Thanks to reader Francis for letting me know that all episodes of the  BBC program The Monastery has been posted on YouTube. It never aired here in any form, so I've not yet seen it - but it...

On the recommendation of several people, I am reading Ratzinger's Eschatology: Death and Eternal Life. I also have N.T. Wright's Surprised By Hope, recommended to me by many as well. I had started the Wright, but then thought...no, let's start with...

Another day, another episcopal homily. This one, via Peter Nixon, is the text of today's homily from  the new Bishop of Oakland, Bishop Cordileone at his installation Mass. He begins and ends by quoting Pope Benedict, and in the middle,...

Of late, I've started resuming a few former pastimes that had fallen by the wayside. I've read three books cover-to-cover over the past week - my first in three months. I've started exercising again -  although digging out my mp3...

I agree with something in the Huffington Post. This is pretty classic:Only in America would the notion of a nearly-naked fundamentalist Christian beauty queen tossing her processed hair as she parades brand new, pageant-bought plastic breasts across a Las Vegas...

Judy Blume wants you to honor her with a donation to Planned Parenthood....Say thanks. Say thanks this Mother's Day with a gift that honors her courage by making a donation to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund in her name. I...

Via Creative MInority Report , via Paul Kengor, who writes, citing Warren Rudman's memoirs. . Rudman remembers when fears about David Souter's leanings were assuaged by his vote on Casey v. Planned Parenthood.As fate would have it, on that same...

Bishop Wenski's homily at the Mass of Reparation has been posted. It's reproduced here as well. Today's Mass is offered in reparation for the sins and transgressions committed against the dignity and sacredness of human life in our world today....

The "Mass of Reparation" at St. James Cathedral in Orlando was last night.Did anyone attend?Here's one report, bare bones:Upset by an honorary degree being bestowed upon President Barack Obama by the University of Notre Dame, Bishop Thomas Wenski presided over...

Look. I am, to say the least, not a fan of President Obama (no, that's not the heresy. I don't think. And for new readers - I was, to say the least, not a fan of President Bush. Or President...

Two interesting columns of note in the NYTimes - on online only, and on which made it to the print edition as well:First, is a different take on the Pew "Faith in Flux" studied discussed a bit last week, from...

....and probably soon to fall, like everything else.But for the momentThe Twitter handle, http://twitter.com/usccbmedia, has over 900 followers and is maintained by Don Clemmer, Assistant Director of Media Relations at the USCCB. Clemmer uses the Twitter feed to drive traffic...

Russ Shaw blogs over at OSV:This is apology aversion in everyday life. Refusal to admit mistakes in matters of public significance is more sinister and equally common.Consider all those journalists and think tank talking heads who helped sell America on...

More awesomeness from campus ministries on secular campuses, this time from the University of Kansas in Lawrence (I used to live there - a *long* time ago. 3rd-7th grad, to be exact.)What they're doing is inspired by the Aggie Catholics'...

Eh, an easy, no-brainer to get me going this week while I sort out weightier matters.At Big Hollywood, Andrew Leigh separates fact from fiction in Angels and DemonsThis last falsehood bears further examination, because the Illuminati are so integral to...

Time has a piece on churches encouraging Twitter-use during services: Voelz and David McDonald, the other senior pastor at Westwinds Community Church in Jackson, Mich., spent two weeks educating their congregation about Twitter, the microblogging site that challenges users to...

These boys are on their way to:a) workin' on the railroadb) the theaterc) Post-Industrial WastlandWorld at Disney World. New attraction.And the answer is...b....

From Maureen, (of Aliens in this World and invaluable podcasts at Maria Lectrix) in the comments below:If you're against capital punishment, you must be more against capital punishment against babies, which is carried out without trial or jury or appeal...

This week's failed attempt at FoodBlogging:Some sort of salumi, sopressata, Mozarella di Bufalo, homemade cured olives, roasted tomatoes and...arugula. Never had arugula before - never understood what was meant when it was referred to as "spicy." How can a...

Mollie Hemingway has a very useful exploration of the recent survey on Christians and their levels of approval of torture, as well as the broader issue of press coverage:So all these many paragraphs to say that I think that while...

The story of St. Athanasius is instructive in many areas, an important one for those seeking to understand the warp and weave of life in the Church as well as the mystery of the Church, in its shadows and light.As...

From an alumna, in First ThingsFor many members of the Notre Dame Class of 2009, the uproar surrounding the university's decision to honor Barack Obama with this year's commencement address, and to bestow on him a doctorate of laws, has...