A little early Throwback Thursday action, for those of you who follow such things… The picture below is Your Humble Blogger in April of 2002 with Dom Bernardo Olivera, at the time the Abbot General of the Order of the Cistercians of the Strict Observance (O.C.S.O.), commonly known as Trappists. We met each other at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Georgia, where I was one of the facilitators for an international gathering of Lay Cistercians (a kind... Read more
This news release just went out: The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), meeting for their June 11-13 Spring General Assembly, approved action items relating to the permanent diaconate, the bishops’ religious liberty efforts and their quadrennial statement on Catholic political responsibility. The bishops voted to permit the USCCB Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations to seek a renewed recognitio, or approval, from the Vatican for the National Directory for the Formation, Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons in... Read more
It can be tempting, when ingesting a daily diet of internet chatter, to think the Catholic Church these days is a disaster. Things have never been worse. Vatican II destroyed the faith. Batten down the hatches. The barque of Peter is taking on water, and sinking fast. So goes the popular thinking among some on the web. Clearly, the institution’s days are numbered. Really? This morning, I read about a new church being built in the heart of the South,... Read more
Photo: Leslie Westbrook/LAGNS Details from The Shreveport Times: They describe their childhoods as like those of any other boys: playing sports, dating nice girls and mastering crazy video games. But there were a few anomalies. When Matt Barzare and his buddies played cops and robbers in Eunice as little kids, Barzare played a priest who could say Mass and give last rites. “I even had this little satchel I filled with stuff I thought a priest might need,” Barzare... Read more
God bless him. This is priceless. Read how he did it here. But watch below. It’s one-of-a-kind. And hilarious. Read more
After reporting on this fashion phenomenon for summer—men wearing suits with shorts—I stumbled across this item, on bikinis with sleeves. See below: Details: Will 2014 be the summer of unexpected sleeves? First Kim Kardashian goes all demure on her wedding dress, now sleeves are popping up on the least likely of places: bikinis. Unusually, this is a trend that appeals to surfers, the sun-sensitive and those tottering around in heels in the beach bar alike. Long-sleeved swimming costumes – also... Read more
Some great observations from Msgr. Charles Pope: I live just up the street from the U.S. Capitol and it is fascinating to watch the tourists go by on the buses. Many of them are so busy taking a picture of the Capitol (a picture they could easily find in a book or on the Internet) that I wonder if they ever see the Capitol with their own eyes. The picture is the point. Actually, I would contend that it is... Read more
This morning, the Archdiocese of St. Louis released the statement below on its website, responding to reports and criticism surrounding Archbishop Robert Carlson’s deposition that was released Monday: This statement is intended to clear up confusion generated by the release on June 9, 2014, of a videotaped deposition of Archbishop Robert J. Carlson, Archbishop of St. Louis. This deposition was taken in a lawsuit for damages pending in a Minnesota state court relating to events that occurred more than 30... Read more
This is not a joke: We’ve now had so many mass shootings that entrepreneurs see space in the market for a bulletproof blanket, made specifically to shield small children from gunfire. The Bodyguard Blanket, made by a company called ProTecht, is a bulletproof 5/16-inch pad, made from the same materials used by our military, except it’s for kids. They even come in different sizes. If mass shootings weren’t such an integrated part of our culture, you’d think this was an... Read more
You can already do it at Disney World; why not in your own backyard for a birthday? Reality TV has evidently accustomed us to spending our lives being followed by someone with a camera—and now you can pay for a professional to do just that. From the New York Daily News: When Anzalee and Kristain Rhodes look back at their daughter’s first year of life, they won’t be examining blurry, red-eyed camera phone photos. They’ll have crisp, finely detailed professional... Read more
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