Rev. Fr. George Kevorkian The historical origin of April Fool’s day actually deals with a very serious subject – the introduction of a new calendar. Ancient cultures as varied as the Romans and the Hindus had celebrated New Year’s Day on April 1, which is closely related to the start of Spring. In medieval times, much of Europe celebrated New Year’s Day on March 25th, the Feast of the Annunciation. In 1582, Pope Gregory ordered a new calendar, which has... Read more

Previous posts: Part 1, Part 2, Addendum.There are portions of The Da Vinci Code where it seems Dan Brown’s research consisted of digging through the works of Hal Lindsey and Jack Chick. Perhaps this was intentional in hopes of playing to the masses. If that’s the case he sure thinks the masses be dumb. For example: “… conspiracy buffs who claimed 666 was the number of Satan” (p.21). The number 666 comes from the Apocalypse of St John, otherwise known... Read more

April 1, 2005 — A new pope is elected by the College of Cardinals in Rome, who gather under Michelangelo’s famous frescoes in the Sistine Chapel under strict security measures. Only cardinals under the age of 80 can vote, and in recent times the number of voting cardinals has been kept to roughly 120. In September 2003, however, an ailing Pope John Paul II strengthened his influence over the choice of his successor by naming 31 new cardinals. The latest... Read more

Curry-Spiced Lentils & SpinachINGREDIENTS:1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder1/2 teaspoon ground cumin1 teaspoon ginger1/4 teaspoon turmeric1/4 teaspoon cayenne1 medium onion, chopped2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced1 cup lentils, rinsed1/4 cup converted rice1 10-ounce package chopped spinach or other greens1 can (1 1/2 cups) vegetable brothsalt to tasteChopped tomato & mint for garnish, if desired PREPARATION: Combine first 11 ingredients in the slow cooker/Crock Pot. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours, or until rice and lentils are tender but... Read more

This picture, full of Spanish moss, is typical of the beauty of Pawleys Island, South Carolina. Not far from Myrtle Beach, Pawleys seems almost otherworldly in comparison. Yet, like all things coastal, growth threatens. My family was blessed to have spent time at Pawleys recently, our fourth such visit, and what follows here are two poems. The first, I bought in a collection, “Poems of the Sea”, at The Original Hammock Shop. The second, I received via email during our... Read more

“New documents found in the files of the former East German intelligence services confirm the 1981 assassination attempt against Pope John Paul II was ordered by the Soviet KGB and assigned to Bulgarian agents, an Italian daily said on Wednesday.” Long suspected by the Pope, here’s the scoop.Thanks Drudge. Read more

Muslim keeps the keys at the holiest site in ChristendomBy MATTHEW KALMAN, Scripps Howard News Service, March 23, 2005 JERUSALEM – Every day at 4 a.m., Wajeeh Nuseibeh walks through the walled Old City of Jerusalem to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the holiest shrine in Christendom. Most Christians believe it is the site of the crucifixion, tomb and resurrection of Jesus. Nuseibeh takes an ancient 12-inch iron key, climbs a small ladder and opens the huge wooden doors.... Read more

About a month ago, after weeks of research, I had a computer crash and lost all my work — including my notes on The Da Vinci Code. Since then, I began backing up files on a Jump Drive. I’ve been composing my DVC notes in my e-mail application and saving to my Jump Drive, just in case. After getting the laptop up and running again, I re-did all my DVC quotes, notes, references, etc. Last week I dropped my Jump... Read more

Here are some of the claims made by Dan Brown in The Da Vinci Code which will be covered in subsequent posts: 1) St Constantine & Company successfully converted the world from matriarchal paganism to patriarchal Christianity by waging a campaign of propaganda that demonized the sacred feminine, obliterating the goddess from modern religion forever. 2) The fleur-de-lis is symbolic of the Mona Lisa (code for yin-yang androgynous Gnosticism). 3) The Church killed 5 million women during 300 years of... Read more

A coworker asked my opinion of the fanatically best-selling Dan Brown book, The Da Vinci Code. I qualified my negative remarks by stating that I had not read it. “Would you like to?” he asked. I told him that I was not going to buy the book but if he wanted to loan it to me I’d give him a full report. And so it is. When reading a good book, I can’t wait to hit the hay. (The bed’s... Read more