Driving Off the Cliff with Your Seatbelt On

Last updated on: March 9, 2020 at 7:04 pm By Jennifer Fitz

The selective caution of American public health officials is a tragicomedy. If you’re on a cruise ship or just got back from Italy and happen to grab the attention of the right folk, we take dramatic steps to prove we are Doing Something. Massive outrage if the chosen victim does not abide to strict quarantine. Otherwise, it’s see-no-evil. Community-transmission cases among the elderly in small-town South Carolina? Oh, gosh, I don’t know, maaaybeeeee there kinda could be sorta possibly other people with... Read more

Alternatives to School Closures

Last updated on: March 6, 2020 at 3:20 pm By Jennifer Fitz

As the US starts feeling the impact of our still-unmeasured coronavirus situation, public health authorities and school districts have to decide what to do about all our darling disease-vectors crammed together in the classroom each day. Something to consider: How about making schools more school-from-home compatible? Having done both, I know very well that classroom teaching and homeschooling are completely different from one another. The textbooks and lesson plans are not the same, and it’s rather a pain to teach... Read more

7QT: Catholic Social Teaching Kicks in During Quarantine, and After

Last updated on: February 28, 2020 at 3:27 pm By Jennifer Fitz

Let’s talk about the economics of epidemics. By the time we’ve hit all seven takes for today, we’ll have a to-do item. #1 I am inclined to believe COVID-19 is for serious. It can be tough to decipher the reality behind news out of China. Frankly it’s tough to decipher the reality behind any click-provoking, ad-selling story picked up by the modern media. But here is something fairly rare: China, South Korea, Japan, Iran, and Italy all went into freak-out mode... Read more

Racist vs. Regal

Last updated on: February 21, 2020 at 9:18 am By Jennifer Fitz

I was appalled to see this defense of police-sponsored racist harassment by John McWhorter writing at The Atlantic of all places, making the case that it’s okay to vote for a viciously racist authoritarian regime, as long as it’s not Trump. Um . . . no? Just no. And while we’re at it, that’s a big fat no to offensive stereotyping in the name of high fashion, and in what backwards world must we depend on The New York Post to cover that... Read more

The 2020 Elections, as Clarified by Lunch and a Manslaughter Trial

Last updated on: February 11, 2020 at 9:15 pm By Jennifer Fitz

So today I ate lunch today at a local Trump campaign meeting, an unexpected encounter that answered a few questions about the national mood. (For those who don’t recall, here’s where I stood four years ago. No significant change to report.) Meanwhile, here’s a headline being passed around Twitter: Couple indicted on involuntary manslaughter charge for allegedly terminating pregnancy. Mom and Dad ordered misoprostol from an overseas pharamcy, used it to induce an abortion, and sure enough it worked. Exactly which Ohio laws... Read more

Request for Contributions: Effective Communication on Parish Access for You, a Person with a Disability

Last updated on: January 11, 2020 at 4:22 pm By Jennifer Fitz

Hey everyone, I am looking for help, quickly. My awesome editor of the new book surprised me by wanting more, not less, info on making parishes accessible to persons with disabilities. The question we need to cover: What is the best way for a parish to communicate with you, and vice-versa, so that your disability (medical condition, etc – so celiac, diabetes, severe allergies, chronic illness . . . all that can have parish-life implications too) can be accommodated right from... Read more

Is There Any Hope for People Like You and Joe Biden?

Last updated on: October 31, 2019 at 6:17 am By Jennifer Fitz

Here’s a curious thing about judging-not: In my heavily-Catholic corner of social media, there were one of two responses to reports that Fr. Robert Morey denied Joe Biden communion. Half the crowd cheered, no surprise. The other half invoked the need not to judge . . . and in the process tossed out all kinds of conjecture about the sorry state of Fr. Morey’s soul. I considered getting hold of a few friends of Fr. Morey and finding out more... Read more

Trends in Parish Administration: Are Deacons the New Black?

Last updated on: October 24, 2019 at 9:23 am By Jennifer Fitz

Deacon Greg Kandra* links over at The Deacon’s Bench on the growing use of deacons as parish administrators. This is exactly the kind of thing people like to fuss about, so I’ll go ahead and toss in three thoughts: #1: Keep in mind it’s the bishop who’s ultimately in charge — though read here for some fun stuff about pastors and parish administrators. Assuming canon law is satisfied (since disorder engenders more disorder), those of us who willingly ream the bishops when they fall... Read more

Idol-Tossing, Yay or Nay? It’s Not that Complicated, Sheesh.

Last updated on: October 21, 2019 at 1:45 pm By Jennifer Fitz

Let’s see: There might or might not have been a pagan idol given a place of honor in a Catholic church. Someone stole the idol and tossed it in the Tiber. Video’s been released, and thus half of St. Twitter is cheering in victory, while the other half is scandalized by the theft and destruction of property. Which side to take, if any? Hmmn . . . How about siding with the truth? If it is in fact a pagan... Read more

What if a Saint Was Gay?

Last updated on: October 16, 2019 at 3:36 pm By Jennifer Fitz

As I write, the usual suspects are circulating conjecture about a newly-canonized saint: Maybe this person was gay! Well, maybe so, maybe not — as we could safely say about every single person in the universe. What does that have to do with us? #1 Get Your Mind Out of the Gutter Dear Catholic Twitter Celebrities, Quit acting like you’re fourteen years old and passing notes in the back of Algebra class. Sincerely, The Grown-Ups It is hardly a newsflash for... Read more