A reader writes: I am having a difficult time giving satisfactory explanations to one of the persons in an RCIA class about the use of the word “father”. He comes from a Pentecostal background and objects to the word “father” in addressing anyone except God the Father. He believes it is ok to use Dad, and Granddad, but not Father or Grandfather. Hope you can throw further light into this situation. Catholic Answers does the heavy lifting here, so I... Read more

The awesome Fr. Phil Bloom, who pastors Holy Family in West Seattle, sends along the following: On May 18, NARAL (National Abortion Rights Action League) will be having a fund raising luncheon at the Sheraton (see below) featuring our sometimes Catholic governor. A group of us will be greeting them with prayer and the reality of the procedure they are promoting. Would you be able to join us? Please let me know. Fr. Phil Bloom > http://www.prochoicewashington.org/events/powerofchoice.shtml>> Power of Choice>>... Read more

From our “Sin makes you Stupid” department, we note again the reality that when you train yourself to lie in one area of life, that skill refuses to remain compartmentalized and floats into other areas of life as well. And so, Sheila Liaugminas notes that “What passes as news reporting these days is an unprofessional blend of the sensational, the entertaining and the politically correct.” She gives as an example the curious way in which newspapers talk with euphemistic approval... Read more

A reader writes: I’m writing to you about a Catholic writer who should not be forgotten — Bruce Marshall. His work is very substantial and heart-warming in the spiritual, not sentimental sense. In my case, it’s too late: I’ve already forgotten him. Or rather, I’ve never heard of him. Does anybody know his work? Not that my ignorance means much here. You could fill libraries with the stuff I don’t know. Marshall may well be worth lionizing. But I’ve never... Read more

Took the fambly to Star Trek yesterday. Jolly fun! Zachary Quinto’s Spock so uncannily resembles Nimoy that you’d swear he was a clone or something. Also, Karl Urban’s McCoy was hilarious and Chris Pine’s Kirk was a delightful hell-raiser. Also, they show promise for gettin Uhura out of the “Hailing Frequencies Open” box in which she was trapped in the original series. All in all, a delightful reboot of the franchise by people who decided to scrap almost all the... Read more

Fr. Corapi is coming your way this summer! Read more

“We are faced with a severe crisis here at Amnesty International,” goes the pleading donation appeal. Yes. Well. I have no doubt you are, Mr. Cox. That could have something to do with the fact that you are no longer about helping political prisoners subjected to torture and death, and have instead dedicated yourselves to expanding the abortion license worldwide? When you mutate into another garden-variety promoter of the culture of death, it rather stands to reason that people who... Read more

A reader in deep denial writes about this post: What is this the 60th post bashing dumb Conservatives; yet when the Washington Post points out the obvious fact the Madame Pelosi knew about this what do you say? Nothing other than a few lines about everyone should be prosecuted. Yet you wonder why people call you biased. The moment a battalion of Pelosi-defenders appears in my comboxes to try to deny the bleedin’ obvious, I will have more to say.... Read more

The slaughter of students in the Chicago public schools A reader remarks: As the head says, if this were swine flu, there’d be a panic *and* action. If this were a white neighborhood, there’d be heads rolling, figuratively, instead of bodies dropping, literally. As it stands, Mayor Daley says his city is no worse than others — and it only *seems* like one student death a week by torture, gunshot wounds, and fire is a lot because they count dropouts... Read more

A curious parallel to other, more important cultural struggles than “Star Trek: Old or Reboot?” is noted by Brian Visaggio. Read more