Those scanning the web this morning will find, among other things, two views of the culture war, from two very different perspectives — but both writers come to conclusions that are more similar than you might think. From Elizabeth Scalia, over at First Things: Recently a reader at my blog asked me what it would take for me to call “heresy” on someone else. Apparently, to refuse to lightly j’accuse is to be continually vomited out of Jesus’ mouth in a... Read more
NCR’s John Allen sat down for an exclusive interview with the soon-to-be Archbishop of Philadelphia, and found a few things that might surprise people. Snip: Love him or hate him, Archbishop Charles Chaput, Pope Benedict XVI’s choice as the new chief shepherd of the embattled Archdiocese of Philadelphia, is impossible to ignore. Few American bishops relish public debate more than the 66-year-old Chaput, whose background is in the Capuchins, and who’s widely regarded as an intellectual leader of the “evangelical”... Read more
“You can’t mistake what he’s thinking. He’s a visionary. And what a change this will be. Philadelphia has had staid, traditional bishops and here comes someone who can combine genuine fidelity to the church with this vigor. This is a revolutionary choice! [The pope wants] significant changes in the culture of the archdiocese. You won’t see innovations in doctrine but the expression of the faith is about to undergo it’s most significant reboot in almost 200 years. Chaput is someone... Read more
Does this sound familiar? Details: More U.S. Catholics are attending Masses at fewer parishes staffed by a rapidly declining corps of priests, according to a new report on “The Changing Face of U.S. Catholic Parishes.” Produced by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate for the Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership project of five national Catholic ministerial organizations, the report documents what it calls the “supersizing” of U.S. Catholic parish life. “Bigger parishes, more Masses and ministries in languages... Read more
The conservative talk show host converted to Catholicism nearly a decade ago — and a gift from that occasion is now missing. Details: Laura Ingraham’s baptismal cross went missing from her checked luggage at the Newark airport this weekend, and the syndicated radio host says either a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) worker or a Continental Airlines employee is responsible. Ingraham had just finished several radio and television appearance in New York City and was in a rush to the airport.... Read more
“When I went to business school, part of what you learn is a culture that rewards ambition. I did a lot to unlearn that when I decided to become a priest. I am ambitious for the higher gifts, as Saint Paul put it – primarily the gift of service.” — Fr. Thomas Dowd, age 40, about to become Canada’s youngest bishop. Read more here. And visit his blog. Read more
Not Sha-PUTT, not Sha-POOT. (N.B.: The Philly Inky has it listed as “Sha PEW” in their story…which I guess to them seems more churchy and less naughty.) Second thing: as of tomorrow, you will be hearing his name a lot. And here’s why: Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver, widely perceived both as a leader of the church’s conservative wing and a tough administrator with a strong work ethic, has been named by Pope Benedict XVI as the new archbishop of... Read more
The priest who worked to rescue it from oblivion will bless the cross before it moves to its new location. Details: The Ground Zero cross — two steel beams that were found standing amid the ruins of the World Trade Center — will get a permanent home this week after a brief blessing ceremony. The Rev. Brian Jordan, a Manhattan priest who first blessed the surviving structure in the days after the 9/11 attacks, will perform the honor again Saturday... Read more
As I noted yesterday, I spent the weekend down south, for a family wedding in Virginia. It was my wife’s sister, and it was her second marriage. I went there with a lot of complicated and conflicted feelings; I’d attended her first wedding, nearly 30 years ago, celebrated at a Catholic church in Maryland and made complete by a nuptial mass. This one was very different: a civil ceremony (presided over by guy who was both a former Franciscan and... Read more
From Delaware comes this great story of a former New York cop (he’s the one in the middle, below) who was recently ordained a priest for Wilmington. Check it out: Newly ordained Catholic priest Anthony F. Cardone comes to the job with plenty of experience in the study of diplomacy, security and sin. A former law enforcement officer who handled all three, he’s also known the emotional upheaval of divorce and is thrilled to be stationed near the ocean so... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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