It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! The Vatican’s tree, always a beauty, has just arrived in St. Peters Square. This year’s tree is different in that it’s got a “double trunk”–that is, two trunks growing together. There’s a homily in there, I’m sure: A twin-trunk tree would be a great metaphor for married love, for example, or for the family. Another interesting thing: This year’s Nativity display in St. Peter’s Square will have an opera theme, with life-size... Read more
Daniel Anrig, commandant of the Swiss Guard, will no longer serve in that post, effective the end of next month. That is the announcement which was published today in L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican’s official newspaper. Although no explanation was provided, The Telegraph reports that it’s widely believed Pope Francis prefers a “warmer, more inclusive style of governance” and found the commander’s manner overly strict and “Teutonic.” According to The Telegraph‘s Nick Squires, reporting from Rome: The 77-year-old pope is said... Read more
Things aren’t looking quite as bad as they’d thought over at the Vatican finance office. In an exclusive article in the premier issue of the Catholic Herald magazine, Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the newly created Secretariat for the Economy and the most senior English-speaking official in the Vatican, said, “In fact, we have discovered that the situation is much healthier than it seemed, because some hundreds of millions of euros were tucked away in particular sectional accounts and did... Read more
Six Pontifical Congregations merged into only two. Fewer Cardinals in Rome. Possible lay leadership at the top. These are among the changes expected, as Curia reform continues under Pope Francis. According to Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, coordinator of the C9, the Council of Cardinals that is helping Pope Francis to restructure Vatican dicasteries: “There will be fewer Cardinals in the Vatican, and a reform of the Secretary of State is being looked into.” In an interview with Andrea... Read more
Lowly shepherds. Skilled astronomers. An evil king. An unaccommodating innkeeper. A pregnant virgin. A nurturing foster-father. A host of heavenly beings. Some cows, and a baby. * * * * * This cast of seemingly unrelated characters is brought together in an unlikely pastiche that has become one of the most familiar stories of all time: the Christmas story. And it’s possible–even likely–that you simply accept this improbable story without challenging... Read more
I am a great fan of Dan Lewis’ Now I Know. The small paperback is chock-full of fascinating facts and amazing anecdotes, and things you never knew you wanted to know: What happens to lost luggage? What happened to the flags left on the moon? Did New York City have a plan to reduce crime by banning pinball? Not only do I enjoy picking up Dan’s book from time to time, I also receive his daily trivia email. And today, Lewis... Read more
Dads with daughters: Get ready to be inspired. This is for you. Garth Callaghan began writing “Napkin Notes” for his daughter Emma when she was five years old. Little one-liners, they offered encouragement, made her smile, made her think, made her know how much she was loved. The daily notes, tucked into her school lunchbox, included quotes from Mark Twain and Maya Angelou and Erma Bombeck and more. It became a happy tradition: Garth turned out a personal note every day.... Read more
Just in time for Christmas giving (or holiday devotions), the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist have released a new CD. The Rosary- Mysteries, Meditations & Music was released by De Montfort Music on November 11, 2014. I’ve told you before about the Dominican Sisters of Mary: The Ann Arbor-based Dominican Sisters gained a national audience when they made several appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Then, in March 2013, they appeared on The Game Show Network–placing in... Read more
Okay, let’s cut right to the chase: Lisa Hendey wants to be on Survivor. I mention this because it’s that revelation in Lisa’s new book, The Grace of Yes: Eight Virtues for Generous Living, that caught me completely off guard and made me laugh out loud. Lisa is a busy evangelizer–writing, travelling, speaking, podcasting, running her CatholicMom.com website. That she would aspire to spending 39 days on a desert island without coffee or WiFi, communing with the Creator in the... Read more
Seasons of Grace
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