I want to address the former priest Frank Pavone, and the mystery of the dead infant known as “Baby Choice,” for what I hope is the last time. I hate talking about Pavone. I hate the harassment I get, from pro-life and pro-choice people, when I talk about Pavone. But since he brought up the topic of the dead baby again, I want to address it just once more. In the past few days, Pavone published a long document on... Read more
The day started well, and then it collapsed into ruin. I took Adrienne to Robinson, to buy a Christmas present for her father with her allowance. We got there with no trouble. I’m finally almost used to driving there. The mall was lovely. She picked out just the right thing, and bought a soccer ball themed blanket for herself as well. It wasn’t until we were back in Ohio that something in Serendipity started to go haywire. First, the brake... Read more
It all started with a text. The Lost Girl whose children were so well behaved at the museum texted me, hysterical. She thought she was being evicted. She has four children at home, only two of them old enough to be at school, and their baby sibling is due in the early spring. They’re all crammed into a tiny slice of a block of townhouses at the edge of Steubenville, far from the bus route. Her abusive partner who walked... Read more
Hey folks, this isn’t a real blog post, it’s just my regular reminder that Steel Magnificat and my family run almost entirely on tips. I get a small check for clicks from Patheos every other month. I get a tiny amount of royalties from my books. And the rest of my living is gratuities from readers who like my writing and throw a few bucks into the hat now and then so they can see more. Think of it... Read more
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew: Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to... Read more
This has been a long time coming. The Vatican, moving at a glacial pace as the Vatican always does, has dismissed “Father” Frank Pavone from the clerical state. A letter sent to the US bishops on December 13, obtained today by Catholic News Agency, proclaims that Frank Pavone, the founder of Priests for Life, has been dismissed from the priesthood for his “blasphemous communications on social media” and “persistent disobedience to the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop.” This... Read more
I talked with Holly the Witch. She saw the woman who used to live in my car. That woman is still in the apartment, feeling a little better, using drugs less. Even though she’s very poor, she somehow got a knitted afghan for Holly, for a Christmas present. Holly said it reminded her of the blanket the hospice gave her when her father was dying. The recently homeless woman was on her way to earn money, the only way she... Read more
We went to Easton Town Center to see a movie. If you are a Millennial from Columbus, Ohio, you can probably imagine the evening we had just enjoyed. Easton was brand new back then and the most exciting place imaginable. As a group of teenage girls we would get together on a Saturday evening and go to Olive Garden, or to Cheesecake Factory for an extra special treat. We would go to the Gap and try on clothes. We... Read more
It was after dark when I realized we were out of milk. I was having a bit of my bad anxiety and didn’t want to go to the store again. But I’m the family’s only driver, so Michael said he’d go in to buy it for me if I dropped him off and waited. Adrienne is old enough to stay at home for a short time now, and I no longer fear our stalker if I choose to do... Read more
Last weekend, while I was at the parade with my daughter, my friends in Columbus were faced with white supremacist hate groups waving guns at a church. You’ve probably heard something about the Unitarian Universalist church in Beechwold having to shut down their Christmas drag queen storytime. And I realize every word of that might sound like a punchline, but this isn’t a laughing matter. Drag storytime isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but this wasn’t in any way dangerous to... Read more
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