2014-09-21T13:37:30-05:00

Last updated on: September 21, 2014 at 1:37 pm   By

Remember President Obama, calm and confident, announcing his plan to provide health insurance for all Americans?  Lecturing you through your TV screen on September 9, 2009–wagging his finger at his critics–he emphasized his promise: “No federal dollars will be used to fund abortion, and federal conscience laws will remain in place.” The President’s critics warned that Americans would be forced to pay for abortion, as proscribed by the Hyde Amendment; but Obama was adamant.  In case you’ve forgotten, here it... Read more

2014-09-21T07:11:48-05:00

Last updated on: September 21, 2014 at 7:11 am   By

“I have seen all things done under the sun; all of them are meaningless.” –Ecclesiastes 1:14     THE SONG, the new film from City on the Hill Productions,  is infused with Scripture–based, as it is, upon Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon. It’s a contemporary retelling of Solomon’s life, starring Alan Powell as aspiring singer/ songwriter Jed King.  Jed falls in love with Rose (Ali Faulkner), the daughter of a vineyard owner.  Shortly after their wedding, Jed writes a song... Read more

2014-12-28T16:39:44-05:00

Last updated on: December 28, 2014 at 4:39 pm   By

As Scottish voters take to the polls today to vote on whether or not to declare independence from the United Kingdom, the Scottish bishops have released a statement on another matter:  proposed “opt-out” legislation concerning organ donation in that country. The Proposed Organ and Tissue Donation (Scotland) Bill, according to the Bishops Conference of Scotland, removes the “…important principle of consent in our legal system and undermines the integrity of the person.” The bill in question would, in the eyes of the Catholic... Read more

2014-12-28T16:40:11-05:00

Last updated on: December 28, 2014 at 4:40 pm   By

The Nuns on the Bus are on the roll again–this time in Iowa. The liberal organization Network, composed of the same nuns who have been called on the carpet by the Vatican for their disdain for Catholic Church teaching on issues like abortion and same-sex marriage, parked their bus in front of the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines yesterday.  And honoring the Sisters with his presence was America’s confused Catholic vice president, Joseph Biden. According to the New York Times,... Read more

2015-06-17T07:54:59-05:00

Last updated on: June 17, 2015 at 7:54 am   By

My fingers tugged at the wrapper, and I held my breath as I rushed to open Detroit’s Historic Places of Worship.  I’d visited many of Detroit’s oldest churches through the years, and I was looking forward to reviewing this new book; but I was delighted by the explosion of color and fine detail on every page of this beautiful coffee table book, released in September 2012 by Wayne State University Press. “Churches and synagogues have played a crucial role in... Read more

2014-12-28T16:40:49-05:00

Last updated on: December 28, 2014 at 4:40 pm   By

“Not to worry!” says the Vatican, with regard to security for Pope Francis’ upcoming travels to the Muslim-majority country of Albania. In a statement issued Monday, September 15, Rev. Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said despite recent “worrying” events that had shocked the world, there is no specific threat to 77-year-old Pope Francis as he prepares for his one-day visit to Albania on Sept. 21.  Therefore, the Vatican has announced, no extra security measures will be added. *     *     *... Read more

2014-12-28T16:41:56-05:00

Last updated on: December 28, 2014 at 4:41 pm   By

I’ve been thinking about Death. It’s not that I’m morose or depressed or anxious to get on with the business of sliding into the next life.  There have, though, been a couple of articles in the news recently that have brought awareness of Death front and center: First, there’s the trending story about the broadcaster who announced, during his regular newscast, that his brain cancer has taken a turn for the worse–and that he has only four to six months to live. And then,... Read more

2015-01-08T18:09:26-05:00

Last updated on: January 8, 2015 at 6:09 pm   By

Things were different in May 1964, when Father Leonard Chrobot was ordained to the priesthood. The Mass was entirely in Latin; the priest faced the altar during the liturgy; and the faithful knelt at the communion rail to receive the Eucharist. Father Len saw many changes in his priestly life, but this didn’t change: He loved being a priest, and he loved his Polish roots. He had served as coordinator of the American Polish Research Fellowship Program at Notre Dame.... Read more

2015-01-08T18:09:53-05:00

Last updated on: January 8, 2015 at 6:09 pm   By

Four years after the Beatification of John Henry Cardinal Newman, C.O., there is a fresh impetus to advance the rigorous investigation necessary to declare him a saint. According to Bishop Robert Byrne, new auxiliary bishop of Birmingham in England, October 11 has been designated a Day of Prayer for Cardinal Newman.  Bishop Byrne, who is the first Oratorian priest to be ordained a bishop in England for 140 years, will celebrate a solemn Mass to pray for Newman’s canonization. On October... Read more

2015-01-18T11:00:33-05:00

Last updated on: January 18, 2015 at 11:00 am   By

All week, I’ve been reading that Pope Francis plans to marry 20 couples in St. Peter’s Basilica this weekend–and that some of them are cohabiting (oh my!)–and some even (horrors!) have children. Good gracious! There is an undercurrent of insinuation, that once again Francis is breaking the rules of the Church, striking a new chord, changing the “business as usual” approach of his predecessors Benedict XVI and John Paul II. Here, just look at the breathless expectancy in this lede from the... Read more

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