Nine-year-old Amira Willighagen became an Internet sensation in October 2013, when her rendition of Puccini’s “O Mio Babbino Caro” (“O My Beloved Father”) captivated the audience at a live broadcast of “Holland’s Got Talent.” The little girl from Nijmegen decided to sing after her brother took violin lessons. She told the judges, “My brother Vincent plays violin, and I also wanted to do something… So I thought, I’m going to sing… and then I heard opera songs, which I found... Read more
I am not always a fan of the Huffington Post. Sometimes their religion writers seem to be adherents of an ethereal McChurch—scrambling terminology, reporting on all the denominations but grossly misunderstanding the Catholic faith. This time, though, HuffPo hit the nail on the head. I loved this column, written by a blogger who calls himself the Unappreciated Pastor. In fact, I friended him over on Facebook so that I won’t miss his pearls of wisdom. He’s not a Catholic, I... Read more
The Anglican church has begun implementation of a new version of the church’s baptism service. In the watered down version, there is no more “repenting sins” and no more mention of the devil for parents and godparents at baptism services in Anglican churches. There’s also no more “submitting” (as in “Do you submit to Christ the Lord?”) because people—women especially—don’t like to submit nowadays. Around 1,000 Anglican churches are utilizing a new trial version of the traditional Anglican baptism service which... Read more
When people call for “greater transparency” in the Church, I don’t think this is what they had in mind! In the in the town of Borgloon, 50 miles east of Brussels, Belgium, there stands a “see-through church” complete with its own see-through steeple. But this structure is not really intended for corporate worship: It’s part of the Z-OUT project of Z33, an ambitious long-term project to construct art in public spaces. Z33, a center for contemporary art based in Hasselt,... Read more
Pope Emeritus Benedict has rarely been seen, since he retired to the Mater Ecclesiae inside the walls of the Vatican Gardens. The former pontiff has reportedly spent his time in prayer and quiet reflection, occasionally receiving visitors (such as Pope Francis, who paid a Christmas visit last week). Today, though, he made a low-key trip to the Gemelli hospital to visit his older brother Georg Ratzinger, who is being treated there. Perhaps it’s his preference to stay out of... Read more
As expected, the Obama Administration today asked the Supreme Court not to exempt Catholic groups from an ObamaCare requirement to offer contraceptive coverage, after Justice Sonia Sotomayor gave them a temporary reprieve earlier this week. That means that Catholic doctrine notwithstanding, President Obama and his minions want to enforce coverage which includes birth control pills and abortifacients for this person: The Administration’s court filing comes in response to an emergency stay issued late Tuesday, December 31 by Justice Sonia Sotomayor... Read more
Just one day after a popular Roman Catholic priest was found murdered in his California rectory, authorities have arrested a man believed to be the murderer. The suspect, Gary Lee Bullock, was arrested on suspicion of murder in the killing of Father Eric Freed, pastor of St. Bernard Catholic Church and a lecturer and Newman Center director at Humboldt State University. Bullock had been sought after a security guard reported encountering someone who fit his description on the property and... Read more
On Christmas Day, as the 10 a.m. high Mass got underway in Germany’s Cologne Cathedral, a young woman in the front row stripped off her coat, exposing her naked body, rushed to the sanctuary and climbed atop the great altar. Painted across the screaming woman’s bare chest were the words “I AM GOD.” Josephine Witt, the protestor, was a 20-year-old philosophy student and a member of the feminist anarchist group FEMEN. Before Cardinal Joachim Meisner could begin the prayers of... Read more
Father Eric Freed was a busy guy: The popular priest was pastor of St. Bernard parish in Eureka, California since 2011; he also taught in the Religious Studies Department at Humboldt State University and served as director of the Newman Center on campus. But sometime between 6:30 p.m. New Year’s Eve and 9:00 a.m. on New Year’s Day, Father Eric’s life was cut short by an unknown assailant in the rectory where he lived. According to reports, when Father Freed... Read more
“What then is time? If no one asks me, I know what it is. If I wish to explain it to him who asks, I do not know.” –St. Augustine At New Year’s, more than on any other day of the year, we ponder the meaning of time. We remember the events of the year just past, and look with hope to a brighter future in the year to come. But some of us won’t be here next year. Some... Read more
Seasons of Grace
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