Tennesseans Love Their Bible and Their Cave Salamander

Last updated on: May 24, 2015 at 8:19 pm By Kathy Schiffer

The Bible as Tennessee’s official state book? Apparently not. Tennesseans–81 percent of them, anyway–are Christian. And they may love their Scriptures, but a House plan to name the Bible as the official state book was defeated last month in the State Senate. Senator Steve Southerland, a Republican who represents the citizens of Morristown, and other supporters of the bill had argued that the Bible has had great economic and historic impact in Tennessee. A majority in the State House agreed; the House passed the bill... Read more

Come, Holy Spirit: The Song-Prayer of Cardinal Stephen Langton

Last updated on: May 24, 2015 at 2:45 pm By Kathy Schiffer

Cardinal Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1207 until his death in 1228, was a voluminous writer whose homilies are collected and preserved in Lambeth Palace. Langton drafted the Magna Carta to make peace between the unpopular King John of England and a group of robber barons. It promised the protection of church rights, protection for the barons from illegal imprisonment, access to swift justice, and limitations on feudal payments to the Crown, to be implemented through a council of... Read more

The 13 Catholics in Statuary Hall: On Memorial Day, Remembering Our Heroes

Last updated on: May 23, 2015 at 4:17 pm By Kathy Schiffer

One of the most popular tourist destinations in Washington, D.C. is National Statuary Hall. Also known as the Old Hall of the House, it’s a semicircular gallery immediately south of the Capitol Rotunda. For nearly fifty years—from 1807 through 1857—Statuary Hall served as the meeting place for the House of Representatives. The Hall now houses many of the 100 statues of great Americans (two from each state) which together comprise the National Statuary Hall Collection. It’s an extraordinary honor... Read more

Lighting a Candle: 66th Annual Christopher Awards Showcase Great Movies, Books

Last updated on: May 22, 2015 at 8:07 am By Kathy Schiffer

For 66 years, the Christopher Awards have honored those in media whose work has “affirmed the highest values of the human spirit.” The works–feature films, TV and cable shows, books for adults and for young readers–are drawn from both the sacred and the secular. They tell both true stories and fiction. The common thread which unites the winners of the prestigious award is that they are inspiring stories of people who rise above their own wants and needs to act selflessly,... Read more

MASS MESS: If the Priest Screws Up, Have I Satisfied My Sunday Obligation?

Last updated on: May 20, 2015 at 7:58 pm By Kathy Schiffer

We’ve been traveling, and that means… Different Churches! I absolutely love the opportunity to attend Mass at different churches around the country: One day there’s a real sense of community, another day a solemn high Mass emphasizes the sacred, and then there’s an exuberant children’s liturgy that enkindles the Faith in young hearts. I love them all. But THIS?! Last Sunday at a church in a city I shall not name, the priest stood before his gathered congregation and said, “Well, the... Read more

St. Teresa of Avila’s “Prayer for a Busy Life”

Last updated on: May 20, 2015 at 1:18 pm By Kathy Schiffer

Prayer for a Busy Life by St. Teresa of Avila “Christ has no body now, but yours. No hands, no feet on earth, but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ looks compassion into the world. Yours are the feet with which Christ walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which Christ blesses the world. “Let nothing trouble you, let nothing frighten you. All things are passing; God never changes. Patience obtains all things. He who possesses... Read more

Five Years in Heaven: A Young Man’s Unlikely Friendship with an Elderly Nun

Last updated on: May 19, 2015 at 9:02 pm By Kathy Schiffer

When I first saw the title of John Schlimm’s new book, Five Years in Heaven, I thought I’d be reading another in a long chain of near-death experiences: Don Piper, a pastor, was in a serious car accident. Paramedics at the scene declared him dead and laid a tarp over the window of his car, after his heart stopped beating and he was without a pulse for ninety minutes. Dr. Eben Alexander, a neurosurgeon, was afflicted with a deadly E. coli... Read more

Was Raul Castro Joking About His Return to the Church?

Last updated on: May 17, 2015 at 6:46 pm By Kathy Schiffer

So what do you think: Was Cuban President Raul Castro mocking Pope Francis when he said that the Holy Father had inspired him, that after reading his speeches and becoming impressed by the Pope’s “wisdom and modesty,” he might consider returning to prayer and returning to the Catholic Faith? Berta Soler, head of the Cuban human rights movement “Ladies In White”, thinks so. In an interview with Spanish radio station Onda Cero, Soler claimed that Castro was “…mocking the Holy Father when... Read more

8 Bad Reasons to Leave the Catholic Church, and 1 Good Reason to Stay

Last updated on: May 15, 2015 at 5:02 am By Kathy Schiffer

There’s been a lot of conversation on-line over the past few days regarding a column by Mark Judge over at RealClearReligion. Judge, a columnist at The Daily Caller and the author of A Tremor of Bliss: Sex, Catholicism, and Rock ‘n’ Roll, explained why he left the Catholic Church. IT’S BECAUSE HE’S AN ARTIST. Judge is discouraged by what he considers the Catholic Church’s “negative, obstructionist, and soul-crushing” attitude towards the arts. As an example of the way to win souls, Judge cites... Read more