Last Wednesday, a first for Walmart: At their new Walmart Neighborhood Market in the Sherman Heights neighborhood of San Diego, a Catholic priest blessed a mosaic plaque of the Virgin Mary that’s embedded in the exterior wall. Father Richard Brown, senior priest at Our Lady of Guadalupe parish in San Diego, said, “It’s the only Walmart in the world with a plaque of our Blessed Mother.” Walmart was immersed in controversy in 2012, when they announced plans to open a... Read more
Pope Paul VI, author of the 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae (Of Human Life), will likely be beatified in the next few months, according to a report by Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli. Writing in the Italian newspaper La Stampa, Tornielli reports that the Medical Commission of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints has declared that the former pope’s healing of an unborn child is “unexplainable.” Patrizio Polisca, Benedict XVI and Francis’ personal doctor, is chair of the Medical Commission. The... Read more
If you’re a parent, you know that the early years of childrearing are a mix of joy and sheer exhaustion. A new commercial by Argentine creative ideas agency Santo Buenos Aires captures the fatigue and the frustration, the bedlam and the bemusement, and the pure love that makes it all worthwhile. The commercial by director Pucho Mentasti is for Coke Life, a new, green-label Argentine concoction that’s sweetened with a sugar and stevia extract for a 35-calorie serving. Sebastian Wilhelm,... Read more
“Like every mom, what I wouldn’t give to go back for an hour and just cuddle them!” –Patricia Heaton, talking about motherhood, her own family, and a new family-friendly film In November it was my privilege to talk with Patricia Heaton, star of the upcoming film Moms’ Night Out, an ambitious and entertaining family-friendly comedy that will hit theatres in Summer 2014. Our conversation centered on motherhood, and Patricia’s own struggles with meshing work and family life. I actually... Read more
I love books. Big fat books, old worn books, illustrated children’s books, coffee table books. I like the smell of old paper and the feel of soft leather and the sprawling, tumbling cacophony of words and ideas highlighted on earmarked pages. But I’ve noticed that not everyone shares my penchant for paperbacks. In fact, there are a whole lot of people out there who chuck reading completely—preferring to click the remote or rock it to an iTunes video. So how... Read more
Oh my gosh, Christmas is coming, and Amazon says you’ve only got four days to order with regular shipping and receive your gifts in time for Christmas. I keep promising more book suggestions, and this time I want to recommend a few weighty tomes for the person who wants to know more, much more about his Catholic faith. The Encyclopedia of U.S. Catholic History by Matthew Bunson and Margaret Bunson. Published by Our Sunday Visitor Press, this book is a... Read more
Religious freedom is under siege. Around the world, from Cairo and Damascus to Tehran and Beijing, Christianity finds itself increasingly persecuted. Beginning today the Religious Freedom Project at Georgetown University, together with Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion, is hosting a two-day conference in Rome to highlight Christianity’s contributions to the understanding and practice of freedom for all people. At the conference, new findings will be presented from a two-year study by dozens of scholars concerning Christianity’s contributions to... Read more
After I posted an article today about Our Lady of Guadalupe socks, a reader sent me this link—to a company which sells Tin Haul “Between Two Thieves” Cowboy Boots. Check them out: The boots feature cross cutouts on the brown vamp, a crown of thorns on the shaft and—wait for it!—John 3:16 on the sole. All this, and they can be yours for only $399.95. Merry Christmas, all you cowboy wannabes! * * * * * Oh—and... Read more
“God makes himself felt in the heart of each person. He also respects the culture of all people…. God is open to all people. He calls everyone. He moves everyone to seek Him and to discover Him through creation.” –Jorge Mario Bergoglio (now Pope Francis) in On Heaven and Earth As a Catholic, I found it unsettling to review a book by such an esteemed scholar as Rabbi David Zaslow. Might we, I worried, stand unflinching on opposite sides... Read more
December 12 is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. And so I ask you, the reader: Should I celebrate by wearing these socks? Or these? Actually, I don’t own either of these combination foot protectors/devotionals, but I would love to tuck these uniquely Catholic socks into my winter boots! On a more serious note, you probably know the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and how her image was miraculously imprinted on Juan Diego’s tilma (cloak). You may know... Read more
Seasons of Grace
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