Hey folks: This is not a real blog post, this is my more-or-less monthly round up of the things I did when I wasn’t here (and the tip jar because I’ve got to eat). I have written three actual blog posts I’m proud of in the last 24 hours, and there’s more coming down the pipe soon. But these posts do help me keep organized. First of all, last month I was honored to be writing for the Pittsburgh... Read more
I want to say a word about my Transgender brothers and sisters. I’m going to close comments right away, because they will turn into a sewer. They always do when Transgender people are mentioned, and I don’t want my friends to have to read that. I always want to be a little cautious when talking about the intersection of queerness and religion– particularly when it comes to Transgender people. I am not transgender. You shouldn’t listen to me, primarily, when... Read more
The news has come out, in the past few weeks, that the number of abortions in the United States continues to rise. We’ve known for a long time that the highest rate of abortions ever recorded in the United States was in the 1980s and 1990s, and the abortion rates dropped steadily during the decades after that. They tended to drop more sharply under Democratic presidential administrations and more slowly under Republicans, except for a brief period when... Read more
Hi, kids! It’s Professor Mary, here to tell you about the exciting astronomical even that’s going to happen across the United States on Monday! That’s right. On Monday, if you’re lucky enough to live in the middle of the United States, you’ll get to see a solar eclipse. Everybody have a seat and I’ll explain how a solar eclipse works. This is going to be fun, though you have to be kinda careful when talking about the heavenly bodies on... Read more
Things had been going too well lately, so I should have been ready for a bit of trouble at Easter. The Holy Saturday liturgy was, as I said yesterday, a beautiful one, but awfully long. The new bishop preached for half an hour. We had only a few minutes to pick up the last few things for our Easter feast at Walmart before the store closed. When we got home, it was nearly midnight. We’d been in such a rush... Read more
On Holy Thursday I went to Mass, and that wasn’t bad. My religious trauma panic attacks are getting a little better. The church was full to bursting, impossibly full, so Adrienne and I were crammed in the back with scarcely room to breathe. I wasn’t afraid at all at Holy Communion. I only shuddered a little when I had to walk past the Franciscan sisters and their three-knot belts, though the sight of a Franciscan can often set... Read more
I really did mean to go to confession. I haven’t been to confession in the longest time, but I thought I could start again. I desperately wanted to start again. It was Holy Week, the day before Triduum began. I’ve been doing so much better about being able to sit through Mass, most of the time, as long as I duck out during the homily. I would like to go back to confession. But as soon as I resolved... Read more
Things were bad, and then they were wonderful. This happens more and more often lately. It’s been one of those months where nothing goes right. First the Twitter ban, then the sickness, finishing the desperately needed car repairs with cash that should’ve gone to something else, asking the landlord for another week (which he graciously granted). Adrienne found that her bike tire was flat. Then Michael caught another head cold. We ended up at Palm Sunday Mass late, missing most... Read more
The most important person in the world is a woman. Barely even a woman, really. A teenage girl. The most important person in the world is a woman of a conquered race in an occupied country. The most important person is an only child, in a culture that views large numbers of children as a sign of Divine favor. She is a virgin in a culture where a woman’s identity depends on who she’s married to. The most important... Read more
It’s the Monday of Holy Week and I’m working on writing something prayerful and insightful that will be worth your while, I promise. But first, I just want to say a few words on the odd shenanigans that continue to happen surrounding the notorious and now defunct Catholic tabloid, Church Militant. Because I thought Church Militant was finally done for this past week, but it’s risen again, and I’ve seen donors wondering where their money went. If you read me... Read more
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