If I were a rich man: study sheds light on religion and wealth

May 13, 2011 By Deacon Greg Kandra

Does what you believe affect what you earn? Some insight, from the New York Times: The economic differences among the country’s various religions are strikingly large, much larger than the differences among states and even larger than those among racial groups. The most affluent of the major religions — including secularism — is Reform Judaism. Sixty-seven percent of Reform Jewish households made more than $75,000 a year at the time the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life collected the... Read more

Shock: mom defends giving Botox to eight-year-old

May 13, 2011 By Deacon Greg Kandra

And now the mother is under investigation. Details: A San Francisco mom defends using Botox to remove the lines from the face of her 8-year-old daughter. The interview first aired on ABC’s Good Morning America Thursday morning and immediately touched off a controversy and now there is an investigation. Child Protective Services is now getting involved. Many people say what the mom is doing is child abuse, but she insists she’s not the only mother giving Botox to her child.... Read more

Live on stage: "The Exorcist"?

May 12, 2011 By Deacon Greg Kandra

Watch out for the pea soup: the blockbuster novel and movie (based on the true story of a Catholic exorcism) is being adapted for the stage and will have its world premiere next year in Los Angeles. From the New York Times: The playwright John Pielmeier (“Agnes of God”) is writing the stage version of “The Exorcist,” based on William Peter Blatty’s 1971 novel. John Doyle, who brought a stripped-down, bloody sensibility to the 2005 Broadway revival of “Sweeney Todd,”... Read more

What went wrong in Philadelphia?

May 12, 2011 By Deacon Greg Kandra

“Apparently Philadelphia’s bishops don’t fully grasp that by failing to speak openly from the outset they will continue to pay a higher price, in terms of both credibility and cash. If only they would have followed the example of the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago. Confronted with an accusation against him, Cardinal Bernardin openly, humbly, and without a prepared text, answered all the questions he was asked. That’s the sort of response the people of Philadelphia expect and deserve.... Read more

Church of England reports rise in church attendance

May 12, 2011 By Deacon Greg Kandra

It’s happening in Rhode Island with Catholics — and now, across the pond, too. From the Religion News Service: In a challenge to conventional wisdom that church attendance is plummeting across Britain and Western Europe, the Church of England says attendance at its 43 cathedrals grew 7 percent last year. A report by the Rev. Lynda Barley, head of research and statistics at the Archbishops’ Council, said “attendance at services outside Sundays” was up 10 percent in 2010, and “steady... Read more

Catholic former prison warden joins fight against death penalty

May 12, 2011 By Deacon Greg Kandra

She once facilitated executions — and will now be working to stop them. From the Los Angeles Times: As the clock ticked past midnight and the death chamber phone refused to ring, San Quentin State Prison Warden Jeanne Woodford would calmly signal the executioners to inject a lethal dose of chemicals into the condemned man’s veins. Reared in a Roman Catholic family, she grew up believing that only God had the right to take a life. But four times in... Read more

Divine Providence: in Rhode Island, Catholics are coming home

May 12, 2011 By Deacon Greg Kandra

An evangelization effort seems to be paying off, according to the Providence Journal: Mass counts released Thursday by the diocese show that while Mass attendance among Rhode Island’s Catholics grew by a mere 1.9 percent between October 2009 and October 2010, that reversed a decline that had been observed over a number of years, as when attendance dropped by 5 percent between 2006 and 2008. When the diocese launched its Year of Evangelization with a series of “Catholics Come Home”... Read more

Madonna mural making waves

May 12, 2011 By Deacon Greg Kandra

The image below has become something of a tourist attraction in southern California: But its days may be numbered: City-hired consultants indicated in a rough draft report Wednesday that they would like to test heat, chemical and mechanical methods of removing an unauthorized surfing Madonna mosaic. But the issue of what to do with the roughly 10-by-10-foot rogue public art project on Encinitas Boulevard may go next to the City Council. During Wednesday night’s council meeting, Councilwoman Teresa Barth asked... Read more

In Baltimore, 14 on the 14th

May 12, 2011 By Deacon Greg Kandra

New deacons, that is. Ordination season is just beginning. Details, from the Catholic Review: Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien will ordain 14 men to the permanent diaconate May 14 during a 10 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Homeland. Hailing from as far west as Oakland in Garrett County, the soon-to-be deacons represent a variety of professional and personal backgrounds. All married, they include the president-CEO of a hospital, a scientist, a social worker and a biomedical... Read more

Catholic professors slam Boehner: "Your record is at variance from the Church's ancient moral teachings" — UPDATED

May 11, 2011 By Deacon Greg Kandra

It’s not often that a conservative Catholic speaker at Catholic commencement comes in for criticism from Catholics — but that’s exactly what has happened to the Speaker of the House. From the New York Times: House Speaker John A. Boehner, a Republican who grew up in a devout Roman Catholic family in Ohio, is scheduled to give the commencement address this Saturday at the Catholic University of America in Washington, a prestigious venue in church circles for its affiliation with the... Read more