Must-read: “The end of casual Christianity” by Michael Gerson

Last updated on: May 26, 2015 at 2:19 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

View image | gettyimages.com A different take on the recent survey by Pew, from the former Bush speechwriter and Washington Post columnist: For conservative Christians, a psychological adjustment is taking place. In a de-Christianized culture, it becomes harder to imagine yourself part of a “moral majority.” This was never quite true, but now, with the decline of casual Christianity, it is incredible. So how do 62 million evangelical Christians and other theological conservatives — not a majority but a significant minority... Read more

I’d like to thank the Academy…

Last updated on: May 26, 2015 at 12:53 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Or, at least, Matthew Coffin. Got a nice email from him today, with this piece of news: I am pleased to announce the 1st annual New Evangelization Award for excellence in Catholic blogging. The Catholic blogosphere hosts thousands of sites. Choosing among them blogs of distinction is a daunting task. I had originally intended to honor three Catholic bloggers who have made a unique and longstanding contribution to evangelize and engage a society that is increasingly hostile and openly skeptical... Read more

News alert: weddings do not have to break the bank

Last updated on: May 26, 2015 at 12:38 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

[getty src=”551427979?et=4MNGjFBeTQd9jhBuaONGKw&viewMoreLink=on&sig=KGqLDvycGCkgmPkrntrjJA_qUjb_6aXRT3JozNmhaeo=” width=”333″ height=”519″] View image | gettyimages.com My blog neighbor Jane the Actuary has a little news today about spiraling wedding costs, and points out that the numbers you’ve been hearing—upwards of $30k—may not be accurate.And she adds this personal detail at the end: That the wedding industry has done such a good job of convincing couples that an expensive say-yes-to-the-dress type dress is obligatory, and a sit-down dinner reception, and so on, that couples think that getting married... Read more

If you think gays wrecked marriage in Ireland, think again

Last updated on: May 26, 2015 at 12:27 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

[getty src=”474524424?et=Wf7mbzl4T1RodcVQELkJaA&viewMoreLink=on&sig=_nAsYpVhaaw5MbRaPCeOnxIaCyMSqQ88ZUW5NemdBb0=” width=”594″ height=”396″] From Aleteia, some analysis from Michael Cook: As an institution, marriage has been on the skids in Ireland for decades and Friday’s result was a natural result. It wasn’t the gays who trashed marriage; it was the straights. Consider the four essential features of traditional marriage: permanence, monogamy, procreation and sexual complementarity. Permanence: Ireland amended its constitution in 1995 to legalise divorce (with a 62 percent voter turnout), copying what other jurisdictions had done decades before. So... Read more

Must-read: “The end of casual Christianity” by Michael Gerson

Last updated on: May 26, 2015 at 12:25 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

[getty src=”490318189?et=Ly5V8_zjSh9xm3idkIVP8A&viewMoreLink=on&sig=PQngUg7YyUbH2W-aaWzOpFFh2F5wyrxjkd9OiHjYW0U=” width=”594″ height=”395″] View image | gettyimages.com A different take on the recent survey by Pew, from the former Bush speechwriter and Washington Post columnist: For conservative Christians, a psychological adjustment is taking place. In a de-Christianized culture, it becomes harder to imagine yourself part of a “moral majority.” This was never quite true, but now, with the decline of casual Christianity, it is incredible. So how do 62 million evangelical Christians and other theological conservatives — not a majority... Read more

I’d like to thank the Academy…

Last updated on: May 26, 2015 at 12:21 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Albany ordinations mark for some “a second career”

Last updated on: May 26, 2015 at 12:18 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From The Troy Record, a welcome reminder that vocations come from many places, but very often begin in the family: Close to 300 clergy, religious, family, friends and well-wishers attended the ordination of four men as the newest deacons of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany. Three of four men ordained as deacons are preparing to eventually become priests of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany. For the three of the four, now in their fifties, this religious life represents a... Read more

Albany ordinations mark for some “a second career”

Last updated on: May 26, 2015 at 6:56 am By Deacon Greg Kandra

Beautiful, just beautiful: a wedding picture worth a thousand words

Last updated on: May 25, 2015 at 11:15 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details: A photo of a young Marine praying with his bride-to-be quickly went viral after it was posted on Facebook by the wedding photographer. U.S. Marine Cpl. Caleb Earwood wanted to pray with his bride Maggie before their ceremony in Asheville, North Carolina, on Saturday. So with the help of their family and wedding photographer Dwayne Schmidt, Caleb was guided to the cabin where Maggie was getting ready for the service, where the couple joined hands around a corner so... Read more

What do you do for a father/daughter wedding dance when your daughter is a tomboy?

Last updated on: May 25, 2015 at 7:34 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

You do something like this… As the Dad notes on YouTube: My daughter has always found her own path. She played Flag football at 6. She hated wearing dresses. She wore a tuxedo to her first communion. She lettered in Soccer and Track. She then became an Engineer for the largest automaker in the world when she was 22. I could not imagine having a traditional father daughter dance with her. That is not what we were or are…So I... Read more