Breaking: Vatican, American Sisters Strike a Deal

Last updated on: April 16, 2015 at 8:40 pm By Kathy Schiffer

Some very good news! The Vatican and the American Sisters have acknowledged their common mission and officially ended the multi-year Mandate for reform of the LCWR. In a joint statement and final report released April 16 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), the Vatican and the American Sisters announced the completion of the Mandate and announced their common understanding regarding the future of women’s religious life. How did we... Read more

Did Turkish Hackers Shut Down the Vatican Website?

Last updated on: January 22, 2019 at 3:57 pm By Kathy Schiffer

Could this be true? Several news websites are reporting that the official Vatican website, vatican.va, was hacked and taken off-line Monday night by Turkish protesters who objected to Pope Francis’ use of the term “genocide” to refer to the killing of 1.5 million Armenians by Turkish forces in 1915. Theodore Shoebat reported on his website that the hacking was done as an act of revenge against Pope Francis for his exposing of the Armenian Genocide. The Stack repeats the story,... Read more

Archbishop of Sydney to Debate Controversial Ethicist Peter Singer on End-of-Life Issues

Last updated on: April 13, 2015 at 12:43 am By Kathy Schiffer

You’ve probably heard of Peter Singer, the controversial Princeton bioethicist who advocates infanticide, incest and bestiality. A utilitarian who supports abortion, Singer has stated publicly that some animals are more entitled to personhood than are newborn babies. By his standard, then, parents could decide in the first six months of their child’s life whether to permit him to live, or whether to euthanize him. On August 13, the outspoken professor with the outrageous views will debate against the author of Catholic Bioethics for... Read more

Stand, Sit, Kneel, Repeat… Why Catholics Do the Things They Do

Last updated on: April 12, 2015 at 5:04 pm By Kathy Schiffer

If you’re a non-Catholic attending the Catholic Mass for the first time, chances are you notice this: On cue, people stand up; they sit back down; they kneel; then they stand…. The curious onlooker might wonder what is the Secret Code that Catholics flash to one another, to achieve such uniformity in such complex circumstances. My Irish aunt used to joke about it, her irreverent but good-natured banter extracting humor from our Sunday ritual. “They learned precision in the marching band,”... Read more

Inklings of the Gospel: Fr. Robert Barron’s Latest Book Finds Meaning in Popular Culture

Last updated on: April 10, 2015 at 9:42 am By Kathy Schiffer

Raise your hand if you remember CliffsNotes. Those black and yellow-striped study guides were a boon to the hapless undergrad who lingered too late at the fraternity kegger, squandering his time with new friends when he should have been studying for his Lit exam. For just a few dollars, CliffsNotes offered a quick plot summary, description of the characters, and analysis of the theme. Ideally, CliffsNotes would be a companion to the complete masterpiece, offering insights without replacing the rich work... Read more

During Eastertide, We Pray the “Regina Coeli”

Last updated on: April 8, 2015 at 5:08 pm By Kathy Schiffer

The Regina Coeli (“Queen of Heaven”) is a traditional Marian prayer. During the Easter season (from Easter until Pentecost), the Regina Coeli is recited in place of the Angelus, that ancient prayer of the Church which has traditionally been recited at noon and again at 6:00 p.m. The prayer dates back to at least the 1200s. According to legend, Pope St. Gregory the Great heard angels chanting the first three lines one Easter morning in Rome. He was inspired to... Read more

Thieves Rob Detroit-Area Chaldean Church–But Camera Catches All

Last updated on: April 7, 2015 at 10:46 pm By Kathy Schiffer

Three men robbed St. Thomas Chaldean Catholic Church in West Bloomfield, Michigan on the morning after Easter, when there was an unusually large amount of cash on hand–but all three criminals were caught on surveillance video, and chances are that they’ll be caught soon. The Chaldean News reports that the men first visited the St. Thomas Grotto, located at the rear of the church, at about 2:40 a.m. on Monday, April 6. According to their report: Video surveillance shows two of the men entering... Read more

Meditations in God’s Garden

Last updated on: April 8, 2015 at 10:37 am By Kathy Schiffer

Spring arrived slowly this year. In Michigan, where I make my home, the earth is still brown and muddy and the trees are bare; and there’s still the chance that a rogue snowfall will smother the crocuses and the snowdrops, those delicate precursors of green grass and fragrant flowerbeds. Still, though, Spring is the time when our hearts turn to the garden. Not in the hot Summer, when sultry breezes make it all too easy to set down the trowel... Read more

What Do Young Americans Think of Jesus–And How Can We Change Their Minds?

Last updated on: April 6, 2015 at 9:07 pm By Kathy Schiffer

Well, Easter has passed. We remember with gratitude that Jesus lived, died on the Cross for our sins, and was raised from the dead. But what does that really mean? Unfortunately, for too many American Christians, it doesn’t mean as much as one might hope. A new research report by the Barna Research Group demonstrates that “Americans’ dedication to Jesus is, in most cases, a mile wide and an inch deep.” David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group, discusses the findings... Read more