2016-09-30T15:59:42-04:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:59 pm   By

From The New York Times:  The Supreme Court on Tuesday turned away an emergency application asking it to block a Texas law that requires doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. The decision was effectively 5 to 4 and split along ideological lines. The effect of the ruling, Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote for the four dissenters, was to leave 24 counties in the Rio Grande Valley without abortion clinics. “It may,” he added, “substantially reduce access to safe... Read more

2016-09-30T15:59:42-04:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:59 pm   By

Photo: AP Seems a stretch to me.  But make of it what you will. From the Associated Press: The Vatican on Tuesday unveiled newly restored frescoes in the Catacombs of Priscilla, known for housing the earliest known image of the Madonna with Child — and frescoes said by some to show women priests in the early Christian church. Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, the Vatican’s culture minister, presided over the opening of the “Cubicle of Lazzaro,” a tiny burial chamber featuring 4th... Read more

2016-09-30T15:59:42-04:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:59 pm   By

This fascinating flasbhack recounts how the clergy at Vatican II first learned of the assassination—and it tells what happened in the days after—from the blog This Week at Vatican II:  On Saturday, November 23, Cardinal Cushing of Boston was already in the U.S.  Somewhat a “maverick” among his brother Bishops, Cushing found the sessions of the Council tedious (except for the discussion of his well-beloved “missions”) and generally absented himself from the proceedings. He had officiated at the marriage of John... Read more

2016-09-30T15:59:42-04:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:59 pm   By

“It is striking that there would be so much energy poured into defending the uniqueness in clothing styles and the insistence on titles – some suggesting that clerical titles be used even among family and friends. The question for reflection is whether or not how we dress, how we interact with others, how we introduce ourselves, and what we expect from the people with and for whom we minister breaks down barriers to relationship or adds unnecessary barricades to potential... Read more

2016-09-30T15:59:42-04:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:59 pm   By

Details: A South Carolina charter school has canceled its annual Christmas toy drive after a group of self-described humanists complained that the project violated the U.S. Constitution and accused them of bribing children to convert to Christianity. Renee Mathews, the principal of East Point Academy in West Columbia, S.C., said the annual Operation Christmas Child project was halted because the American Humanist Association threatened to sue the school. “We received a letter saying we had to cease and desist immediately... Read more

2016-09-30T15:59:42-04:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:59 pm   By

Photo: Jetta Fraser/The Blade From the Toledo Blade (h/t to Norb!): Five moderate tornadoes plowed through six counties in northwest Ohio on Sunday, sparing lives but leveling a church, homes, and businesses, and brushing near part of Lake Township ravaged by a much stronger twister in 2010. The National Weather Service’s confirmation on Monday of the tornadoes — which in some cases brought winds in excess of 100 mph — didn’t surprise Sandy Moore, who said she was locking her... Read more

2016-09-30T15:59:42-04:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:59 pm   By

Some compelling thoughts, from Presbyterian pastor Henry G. Brinton:  As Thanksgiving approaches and commerce clashes with personal values, people talk about what they are thankful for. Macy’s Department Store is famous for presenting the Thanksgiving Day Parade. But now the same store that is in its 87th year of producing a nationally-televised parade, watched by millions, is being blamed for ruining the holiday. What has the store done? Decided to open its doors to shoppers on Thanksgiving Day at 8:00... Read more

2016-09-30T15:59:42-04:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:59 pm   By

From Variety: Star Partners and Hummingbird Prods. are collaborating on production of a sequel to Frank Capra’s iconic 1946 movie “It’s a Wonderful Life,” which starred Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. The sequel, titled “It’s a Wonderful Life: The Rest of the Story,” is being financed by Allen J. Schwalb of Star Partners who will also produce along with Bob Farnsworth of Hummingbird. The duo are aiming to get the movie into theaters for the 2015 holiday season. Karolyn Grimes, who played George Bailey’s... Read more

2016-09-30T15:59:43-04:00

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:59 pm   By

The Anchoress gets the scoop—and the man’s name:  Vinicio Riva, whose head and neck are covered with tumors due to a rare disease, told an Italian magazine that his disfigured appearance has led to a lifetime of living on the margins. […] Riva, who lives in Vicenza in northern Italy, said he suffers from neurofibromatosis Type 1, which causes painful tumors to grow throughout his body. His younger sisters and late mother also suffered from the rare disease, Riva told... Read more

2015-03-13T16:36:25-04:00

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:36 pm   By

A California reader writes: Fifteen new Deacons were ordained for the Diocese of Oakland on Saturday, November 16th, in the Cathedral of Christ the Light. Bishop Michael Barber SJ, ordained fourteen married man and one single man to the Permanent Diaconate. You can read about the men in The Catholic Voice:   It is a ministry more than five years in the making for the 15, who range in age from 41 to 68. There are 14 married men, and... Read more

Follow Us!
Browse Our Archives
TRENDING AT PATHEOS Catholic
Bunker Busters Fit The Catholic Morality Test
Why MAiD Is An Elitist Insult
Blogkeeping Notes for Summer 2025
How Old Is The World?
God's Work Among Nations: Understanding Salvation History
There Is, Very Rarely, Such a Thing as...
view all Catholic blogs