What does someone who’s never been to a church, and who doesn’t believe in God, make of it all? A friend of Shiny New Catholic Leah Libresco attended his first Mass, which also happened to be Leah’s baptism, and shares his impressions: Today I had the great pleasure of getting to meet Leah Libresco of Unequally Yoked and support her at her baptism. And by “support”, I mean that I was waiting for the priest to say “If anyone knows why this... Read more
From the Book of Blessings, a beautiful way to begin your Thanksgiving meal: + All make the sign of the cross as the leader says: Blessed be the name of the Lord. All reply: Now and forever. One of those present reads the following Scripture text from I Cor 1:3-9 Brothers and sisters, listen to the words of the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.... Read more
From the In My Backyard Desk, some heartening and happy news–and it’s really quite remarkable. Is there any other diocese in the United States with three minor basilicas? The announcement from the diocese: This morning, the Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Bishop of Brooklyn, was informed by Pope Benedict XVI of the decision to designate Regina Pacis Church, 1230 65th Street, Brooklyn, a minor basilica. Last year, Bishop DiMarzio submitted a petition to the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline... Read more
With the 16th president cleaning up at the box office these days, here’s another reminder of why he was, and is, a blockbuster. Here’s the text of Abraham Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation, from 1863: The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of... Read more
Details: Opus Dei, the elite and powerful organization within the Roman Catholic Church, is suing a Danish publisher for alleged trademark violations involving a card game titled “Opus Dei. Existence After Religion.” Public hearings in the suit began Wednesday, and Opus Dei spokeswoman Joanna Engstedt told The Associated Press that Dema Games, the publisher of the philosophy-themed, strategy-based game, has no right to the use her organization’s name, which means “work of God” in Latin. Dema Games, a small company,... Read more
Details: In the future, women may be able to buy birth control pills alongside ibuprofen and cough drops if the recommendation of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is adopted. The group is recommending that oral contraceptives be sold over the counter without a prescription in an effort to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies in the United States. Approximately 50% of all pregnancies are unplanned, a rate that hasn’t changed much in the past 20 years, according to... Read more
It’s the busiest travel day of the year and, like a lot of people, the Deacons’ Wife and I will be on the road. We’re flying to Maryland this afternoon. Which means, of course, getting to the airport this morning. Below is a prayer for travelers from the Orthodox that I like a lot: Lord Jesus Christ my God, be my Companion, guide and protector during my journey. Keep me from all danger, misfortune and temptation. By Your divine power... Read more
From the Concord Pastor: Dear God, there’s an empty chair at our table, an ache in our hearts and tears upon our faces… We try to shield one another from our grief but we cannot hide it from you… We pray for… (name your loved one) whose presence we miss in these homecoming days… Open our eyes and our hearts to the healing, the warmth and the peace of your presence… Assure us that those we miss have a home... Read more
An interesting snapshot, from the Pew Forum: The newly elected, 113th Congress includes the first Buddhist to serve in the Senate, the first Hindu to serve in either chamber and the first member of Congress to describe her religion as “none,” continuing a gradual increase in religious diversity that mirrors trends in the country as a whole. While Congress remains majority Protestant, the institution is far less so today than it was 50 years ago, when nearly three-quarters of the... Read more
Details: The Church of England’s governing body on Tuesday narrowly blocked a move to permit women to serve as bishops, leaving the church facing more years of contentious debate. Following a day-long debate on Tuesday, opponents mustered enough support to deny the necessary two-thirds majority among lay members of the General Synod. The defeat was a setback for Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, who retires at the end of December, and his successor, Bishop Justin Welby. Both had strongly endorsed... Read more
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