More on a news item I posted last week, on Brooklyn’s third basilica, with reaction from the pastor and parish: Parishioners in Brooklyn are anticipating the elevation of their Regina Pacis Church as a basilica, with the dedication set to take place on the feast of the Immaculate Conception. “They’ve been admiring the beauty of this church for the longest time, and to see it recognized like this by the Vatican and by the diocese, is a cause of great... Read more
Is organ music in church doomed to disappear? Details, from Catholic News Service: If music conservatories are producing a bumper crop of organ performance graduates, why can’t the parish down the street get a substitute organist for the 10 a.m. Mass? There’s no single answer, but liturgical musicians who spoke with Catholic News Service attribute it to parish finances, cultural changes and the pastor’s interest in music. “Not many parishes are blessed with a budget for both a music director... Read more
“It is unthinkable that any sexual act with an animal is punished without proof that the animal has come to any harm. We see animals as partners and not as a means of gratification. We don’t force them to do anything. Animals are much easier to understand than women.” — Michael Kiok, expressing opposition to a German law that would criminalize bestiality. The mind boggles. Ed Peters, meantime, has more. Read more
Three guesses. From Catholic World News: The number of religious sisters in the United States fell from 57,113 to 55,045 in a one-year period, according to data in the 2011 and 2012 editions of The Official Catholic Directory. During the same period: the number of priests fell slightly from 40,271 to 40,203 the number of seminarians fell from 5,247 to 5,015, with most of the decline occurring among religious-order (and not diocesan) seminarians the number of religious brothers fell from 4,650... Read more
A commentary from Francis Phillips in the Catholic Herald: Friendly commentators on the question of women’s role in the Church but who are not members of the Catholic Church sometimes pity us because (as they see it) we are subject to authoritarian edicts from Rome, devised by elderly celibate men who are determined to suppress our right to free debate and a free vote on this matter; they think we are somehow against women priests or bishops simply “because the... Read more
Details: Expectant parents in Japan who can’t wait to show the world what their baby will look like can now buy a three-dimensional model of the foetus to pass around their friends. The nine-centimetre resin model of the white foetus, encased in a transparent block in the shape of the mother’s body, is fashioned by a 3D printer after an MRI scan. “As it is only once in a lifetime that you are pregnant with that child, we received requests... Read more
The bishops are opposed, and the move has not been without controversy. From the Calgary Herald: Trustees with the city’s Catholic school board have overturned a four-year-old ban on offering the HPV vaccine in its schools, a move greeted by doctors and victims of the disease who have fought the prohibition. The decision was made at a meeting Wednesday evening and passed with a unanimous vote, after a consultation with school councils found an overwhelming number in favour of the... Read more
Three guesses. From Catholic World News: The number of religious sisters in the United States fell from 57,113 to 55,045 in a one-year period, according to data in the 2011 and 2012 editions of The Official Catholic Directory. During the same period: the number of priests fell slightly from 40,271 to 40,203 the number of seminarians fell from 5,247 to 5,015, with most of the decline occurring among religious-order (and not diocesan) seminarians the number of religious brothers fell from 4,650... Read more
Or close to it. Behold, what is reputedly the heaviest item that Amazon will ship for free (or, at least, with a $79 membership in Amazon Prime). Details: “It’s really an amazing deal,” says Amazon spokeswoman Pia Arthur, even if the heaviest items sometimes have to be handled by “specialty shippers” instead of UPS or FedEx and can’t always be delivered within the usual two-day time frame. See Amazon’s policy for shipping large items . So what’s the heaviest item Amazon will... Read more
I have to admit: this made me laugh. It comes from Bosco Peters, an Anglican priest and blogger (and Friend of the Bench) in New Zealand. He says he doesn’t know where the list originated. (My favorite is #7.) Enjoy. 10. A man’s place is in the army. 9. The pastoral duties of men who have children might distract them from the responsibility of being a parent. 8. The physique of men indicates that they are more suited to such... Read more
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