Posts
Needed: Catholic Cab Drivers and Bartenders
Some years back–in an interview on EWTN–Francis Cardinal George, Archbishop of Chicago, was addressing some of the pressing needs of the Church. He said–and I paraphrase–“we need Catholic cab drivers and bartenders.” It was a comment that elicited a chuckle, but the truth of it was very serious and speaks to the way the Church understands…
Footnote 37: Negotiating With the Church
Negotiating With The Church: When people challenge the magisterial teachings of the Church and offer views that are diametrically opposed, should the Church meet them halfway in the spirit of “Consensus”?
Some People think ‘Losing Their Head’ is the Way to Imitate John the Baptist
Was John the Baptist a mere political activist, speaking truth to power? Why did St. john the Baptist survive death threats when Peter wilted at mere questions from bystanders? How and what can we learn from St. John the Baptist on his feast? What does he tell us about religious liberty?
Acrobats, Daredevils, and … “Thank You, Jesus”?
This evening, Discovery Channel aired a two hour special wherein Nik Wallenda walked across the Grand Canyon on a tightrope, with no fall protection. The Wallenda family is several generations deep of acrobats, and tight wire performances. They aren’t amateurs at this sort of performance, but I was taken aback by something different. Besides Joel Osteen being…
From Under the Rubble…Authority and Its Discontents
Some forty years ago, in his groundbreaking study, Twilight of Authority, sociologist Robert Nisbet observed a disturbing trend in American culture. As respect for authority had declined among the population, he wrote, members of that population became increasingly willing to accept and actually applaud an increasingly powerful, albeit less legitimate, government. The notion of true authority, Nisbet…
A Little Catholic “Education” History: Getting Alinsky into the Catholic Parish
Recently, while preparing an article on Common Core national standards, someone suggested that I might be interested in the “open letters” written by a group called Catholics for Truth in Education operating in Illinois from 1974 into the 90s. Interestingly enough, a set of these “open letters” just happened to have been sitting on my…
Did Cardinal Pacelli (Pius XII) really say this?
Sometimes bombshell quotes sound just a little too good. Pius XII supposedly said we’d be searching for Our Lord in our own Churches as Mary Magdalen did… or did he?
Footnote 36: The Death of the Common Good
The Death Of The Common Good: Has diversity destroyed the sense of community and legitimate authority that, the Church teaches, is required for civic life?
St. Joseph’s Name Added to Eucharistic Prayers
Quiz: when was St. Joseph added to the Roman Canon? (No cheating, no googling) and by which Pope? How long did it take the USCCB to act on the addition? Read this for the answers.
Explaining Common Core: And why you don’t want this in your schools
Since 1965, states have been given over 118 BILLION dollars (in addition to those supplied at the state/county level) through ESEA [the Elementary and Secondary Education Act] has supported a system in which 1 in 7 adults are functionally illiterate. Are the Marxists pushing new stuff into education (again)? Catholics wouldn’t go along with that, would they? Read Stephanie Block’s exposition.
There is a rather extensive list of “dangers” she sees in Common Core, including the denial of “absolute truth in God,” “making all truth relative and determined by group consensus,AND MORE!
