The media has been abuzz with news about the phone-jamming equipment being installed on the walls and under the raised flooring in the Sistine Chapel, which will ensure that one enthusiastic Cardinal doesn’t spoil the surprise for the world, when a new Pope is elected. But what about the other people who work inside the walls of Vatican City, and who may hear the Princes of the Church chatting over dinner, sharing a joke in the hallway at the Domus... Read more
Well, not this kind of Mimosa: I’m talking about this kind: There’s really big news today, as the Vatican announces that the Conclave will officially open on Tuesday, March 12. The announcement came after five days of meetings: At 5:36 p.m. Rome time (11:36 a.m. Eastern Standard Time), Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office, announced the date we’ve been waiting to hear. On Tuesday morning, the Cardinals will celebrate a pro eligendo Romano Pontifice Mass (Votive... Read more
“…the potential benefits of adult stem cell research are very considerable, since it opens up possibilities for healing chronic degenerative illnesses by repairing damaged tissue and restoring its capacity for regeneration. I pray that your commitment to adult stem cell research will bring great blessings for the future of man and genuine enrichment to his culture.” –from a message by Pope Benedict XVI to a Vatican conference on adult stem cell research November 10, 2011 Family and friends of the... Read more
Stamp collectors will need to act quickly if they want to get their hands on these: The Vatican has just issued a set of four stamps for use during the “Sede Vacante” (when the See is Vacant), that period between the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI and the election of a new pope. The interregnum stamps, according to Vatican sources, include the symbol of the Vacant See, a striped umbrella (umbraculum) over crossed keys. They can be used only until... Read more
Tonight at 8:00 p.m. EST, something new is coming to your television set: A Lenten miniseries that is well produced and true to the Scriptures. “The Bible,” a five-part, ten-hour miniseries produced by actress Roma Downey and her husband Mark Burnett, begins at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the History Channel. It was my privilege to preview about an hour of the broadcast last month; and I’d like to offer my enthusiastic endorsement of the work. It is true to... Read more
Yesterday over on Facebook, there was a big dust-up because some woman told me I was racist. What she really meant was: My skin is white, and I don’t like Obama; hence, I’m obviously a hater. I didn’t take her allegations lightly. I went ballistic, in fact, shouting (well, typing really loudly) about how I am color-blind but I don’t like this president’s anti-Catholic social policies, his wild-eyed support for abortion and same-sex marriage, his management of the budget crisis,... Read more
Twenty million dollars. That’s how much St. Katharine Drexel donated to the education and care of the poor. The young Philadelphia heiress—raised by her father, banking magnate Frederick Drexel, and her stepmother Emma Bouvier—had more money than most people can imagine. She was well educated, and had traveled widely throughout the United States and Europe. Her parents were devout Catholics who instilled in their children a great generosity, and a conviction that their wealth was simply loaned to them and... Read more
The U.S. Bishops have an idea: With the Supreme Court about to hear an important case on the rights of homosexuals to marry, the bishops invite you to fast today. Dedicate your penance, they urge, for the intention of marriage: For the justices of the Supreme Court, that when they consider two marriage-related cases later this month, they would uphold the authentic meaning of marriage as the union of one man and one woman, a good in itself and for... Read more
Who can turn away a sweet little girl, boxes of cookies in her wagon, smiling hopefully at your front door? And who can turn down the savory pleasures to be found in every box of Thin Mints and Samoas and Savannahs? * * * * * Well, I can. You see, the proceeds from the sale of Girl Scout cookies are divided: You may be happy with your local Scout leader, happy with the projects undertaken by your local Girl... Read more
Seasons of Grace
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In