Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world… Oh, wait, wrong scenario. Rewind. Of all the blogs, on all the portals, in all the interwebz…I always thought Father Dwight Longenecker’s blog, Standing on my Head was one of the prettiest to read, and it had the added distinction of being at turns provocative, thoughtful and hilarious. And now, he’s walked into Patheos and sat himself down at our table. The fundamental things apply; Father Dwight... Read more
This film, based on a true story, looks terrific! I admit that, like many Americans, my understanding of the Cristero War is pretty sketchy. I know about the martyrdom of the Jesuit priest Miguel Pro (how many great martyrs have been Jesuits!) and I had heard of Bl. Jose Sanches del Rio, and I know that these Catholic sisters were founded by a brave and determined Mexican woman, and that they still sing “Viva Cristo Rey!” But honestly, that’s about... Read more
InDisorientation: How to Go to College Without Losing Your Mind (which I highly recommend), I contributed an essay on the Soft Tyranny of Sentimentalism, wherein I wrote: If 20th-century atheism rode in on the backs of totalitarian regimes, the 21st-century has delivered unto the world an anti-God, anti-Church movement that fits seamlessly into shallow, postmodern popular culture. Having no need for uprisings and the hardware of destruction, the new fog of faith has crept in on the little cat feet... Read more
…then how do we proceed as a nation? That’s essentially the question I am posing in my column at First Things: Perhaps projecting their passions on to me, both sides assumed that whatever I was writing about Palin was meant as a political manipulation against them. If I tried to offer balanced criticism, Palin fans accused me of “hating her from the first.” When I—because I detest bullies—defended her from an unconscionable assault by supposedly “liberal” people and the press... Read more
If you think about it, it’s the same song…but I think this one goes down for a nap better! Flexible cartilage is a wonderful thing! Read more
Today is the feast of Saint Joseph, and there are lots of good pieces around, discussing the great husband of Mary and step-father of Jesus. There are a lot of Joseph’s in New York. In our family we have Joe, Joseph, Joey, and so forth, and they’re all gleefully awaiting supper, so they can enjoy Sfingi (pronounced sfINgy) for dessert! Basically, a Sfingi Di San Giuseppe is like a cannoli, but instead of a tubal cookie, the ricotta creme (or... Read more
Look at that little punim! I keep meaning to mention the Christian Foundation for Children and the Aging. My husband and I signed up with them about a year and a half ago, and became acquainted — long distance — with little Miguel Angel, who seems fortuitously named for this family of Archangel devotees! I have to scan a new picture of him, as he’s grown a lot since this one, and seems full of beans and vinegar in the... Read more
Bristol Palin, starts her new blog with a bang. She’s challenging the president to take on his own Sister Souljah Moment, but this time against the misogynist left: Your $1,000,000 donor Bill Maher has said reprehensible things about my family. He’s made fun of my brother because of his Down’s Syndrome. He’s said I was “f—-d so hard a baby fell out.” (In a classy move, he did this while his producers put up the cover of my book, which... Read more
The lie that the church “hates” women and wants to keep them down is an an old one and a lazy one and a convenient one, and — unsurprisingly, it’s the lie the media and folks with an agenda will run with. Reality, of course, is quite different and can’t be explained in a slogan or with a bumper sticker: The hundred-or-so inhabitants were all ecstatic over the new [Catholic Relief Services supplied] well . . . but the happiest,... Read more
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