Yesterday was a big day for the 300,000 Catholics in New Hampshire. Pope Benedict XVI named Most Rev. Peter Anthony Libasci as the tenth bishop of Manchester. A New York native, Libasci has served since 2007 as Auxiliary Bishop in the Diocese of Rockville Centre. Bishop Libasci is bi-ritual—that is, he is able to celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the Byzantine Ruthenian Rite as well as in the more familiar Latin Rite. Bishop Libasci’s coat of arms will bear his... Read more
I am a Collector of Words: words in books, words in magazines, words from countless on-line articles which I print, stack, stuff, climb over, lose, and sometimes organize in hanging files. With Border’s Books closing its last Michigan store today, I thought I should say something special—offer some sort of fitting tribute to the printed word. Actually, I’ve been feeling pretty glum about words lately. In the past few weeks, I’ve shopped at the now-defunct Border’s shops three times,... Read more
Some days one idea catapults into another, with the result that the sublime slams headlong into the ridiculous, producing a flaming nonsequitur of a blog post. Today is one of those days. I read that on September 13, 1501, Michelangelo began carving what is perhaps his pièce de résistance, the 17-foot marble sculpture of David, the Renaissance ideal of perfect humanity. And I remembered the day we saw [well, ALMOST saw] The Statue, and the day I saw The Toilet.... Read more
The State of Illinois has been in the forefront of the culture wars recently because of a new law passed by the Illinois Legislature which threatens to force the Catholic Church out of the adoption business. When Illinois’ new civil union law took effect on June 1, 2010, religious adoption and foster care agencies were faced with a dilemma: whether to follow their religious beliefs, or follow the new state law. The Lutheran and Evangelical child welfare agencies chose to... Read more
Moms, preschoolers, high school art clubs, professional artists, budding Michelangelos—Show your stuff! It’s National Pro-Life Chalk Day! That means that pro-lifers across the country will be taking to the sidewalks, parks, and anywhere that has public space to create short and sweet messages that can save lives! With a handful of chalk and an arsenal of pro-life slogans, you can leave a lasting impression on hundreds or even thousands of people, and the steps are simple. Grab sidewalk chalk from... Read more
I’m not one to remember my dreams when I wake up. My husband, on the other hand—well, he’s a Really Fun Guy in the mornings because he’s so full of stories about saving the world from blue rabbits while armed with only rubber bands and shaving cream…. At least I can dream vicariously, listening to his patchwork adventure tales. Last Sunday, though, I woke from a sound sleep with memories of a fantasy world of my very own. The vision... Read more
On the first Monday of September, Americans say goodbye to summer with picnics and parades, fireworks and festivals. Traditionally, it’s the last day for women to wear white. It signals the start of the NFL and college football seasons. It’s Labor Day! The first official Labor Day was celebrated on September 5, 1882, with a parade organized by the Central Labor Union of New York as a way to honor the economic and social contributions of workers. President Obama is scheduled to... Read more
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” –Genesis 1:1 In February 1971, astronaut Edgar Mitchell traveled to the moon aboard Apollo 14, carrying with him a reminder of the Creator: a tiny Bible. Just 1 1/2 inches on each side, the “space Bible” was contained in its entirety on a tiny sheet of microfilm. Mitchell’s bible will go on the auction block on September 15, in an on-line auction by RR Auction of Amherst, New Jersey. The opening... Read more
Three-year-old Alva Felicia Sundstrom may not realize it, but she holds a unique place in National Hockey League history. Alva was baptized in the Stanley Cup. If you are a big-time hockey fan, you know that hockey’s “Holy Grail” has been used and misused in countless ways: as a beer mug, a dog bowl, a flower pot, a serving dish for raw oysters and for Froot Loops, and to hold champagne. Detroit Red Wings’ Kris Draper allowed his newborn daughter... Read more
Had he lived, Italian philosopher and Thomistic theologian Father Cornelio Fabro (1911 – 1995) would have been 100 years old on August 24. The founder of the Institute for Higher Studies on Unbelief, Religion and Cultures, Father Fabro was a prolific writer, a follower of St. Thomas Aquinas whose works explored the worldview of Danish Christian philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. In his Participation and Causality, an analysis of the work of Aquinas, Fabro identified the notion of participation as the hermeneutical... Read more
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