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
Jimmy the mechanic knocked at my door. I always know it’s him because he’s a bit short, so all I can see through the window is the small bump of his ponytail. When I opened, he was holding the gear shift of a car, attached to what looked like a long black rubber hose. Jimmy had been trying to fix his own vehicle for a solid month. He scrimped and pinched until he got enough for a junkyard... Read more
I want to draw your attention to an excommunication in the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana. The circumstances surrounding it make me sick, and they ought to make you sick too. I was just made aware of the story of a former deacon, Scott Peyton, who has been excommunicated by Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel of the Diocese of Lafayette just this week. This is the second time I’ve had to write about abuse in 24 hours, but I just can’t let... Read more
The feast of Saint Joseph was a particularly horrible day to remember that the Catholic Church doesn’t care about victims of sexual abuse. This week was the solemnity of Saint Joseph, the husband and protector of Christ and the Virgin Mary, someone I often pray to for victims of clerical abuse. I think that Saint Joseph is a patron for anyone who is vulnerable or in danger, and I love invoking him when I feel afraid. So it was... Read more
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