I'll be at the one in Cincinnati next Saturday signing books, along with Coach Danny Abramowicz at the Our Sunday Visitor booth...
From the Milwaukee Catholic Journal:
Following lunch, Danny Abramowicz, a former member of the New Orleans Saints (1967-1973) and the San Francisco 49ers (1973-1974) and special teams coach for the Chicago Bears and offensive coordinator for the Saints, also used sports metaphors to convey his message on the need for spiritual workouts.A spiritual workout, said Abramowicz, should begin with stretching out in prayer, developing the habit of prayer. Choose a regular time and find a place to pray, even if for five to 10 minutes a day, he said.
The second step in Abramowicz’s spiritual workout is jogging to Mass.
“If I told you that Jesus Christ was going to be at Lambeau Field or Miller Park today, we’d have a stampede of people trying to get there,” he said. “But guess what? Jesus Christ is going to be right here with us at Mass.”Why wouldn’t we go regularly to Mass, if we truly believe it is Jesus in the Eucharist?" He asked.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Q. Little Time to Read? A. Pocket Guides
Our Sunday Visitor is launching a series of pocket guides and I noticed this morning that one of them that will be released next month is already on the Catholic Bestseller's list on Amazon--namely the one written by Dr. Peter Kreeft. Here is the one by him and the others that will be coming out next month:
A Pocket Guide to the Meaning of Life by Peter Kreeft
A Pocket Guide to Purgatory by Patrick Madrid
A Pocket Guide to the Mass by Michael Dubruiel
And the one pocket guide that was released last year:
A Pocket Guide to Catholic Apologetics by Patrick Madrid
And this Fall they will release:
A Pocket Guide to Confession by Michael Dubruiel
Along with two others that still are being finalized by two very popular Catholics in the U.S.
A Pocket Guide to the Meaning of Life by Peter Kreeft
A Pocket Guide to Purgatory by Patrick Madrid
A Pocket Guide to the Mass by Michael Dubruiel
And the one pocket guide that was released last year:
A Pocket Guide to Catholic Apologetics by Patrick Madrid
And this Fall they will release:
A Pocket Guide to Confession by Michael Dubruiel
Along with two others that still are being finalized by two very popular Catholics in the U.S.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Mepkin Abbey Counters PETA Accusations of Animal Cruelity
The Post and Courrier has the story. The Monk's website has a statement which in part reads:
It has always been Mepkin Abbey's purpose to provide the healthiest environment for our chickens, to treat them as one of God's precious creatures and to offer to consumers the best possible product for their health and enjoyment. That is precisely why we moved to the cage arrangement over 30 years ago, and why we have continued with it to the present. Cages provide hens protection from predators, soil-borne diseases, and diseases that are caused from walking in litter or waste.
We stand by our product and by the commitment we make to our customers as stated on the inner cover of our egg carton.
It has always been Mepkin Abbey's purpose to provide the healthiest environment for our chickens, to treat them as one of God's precious creatures and to offer to consumers the best possible product for their health and enjoyment. That is precisely why we moved to the cage arrangement over 30 years ago, and why we have continued with it to the present. Cages provide hens protection from predators, soil-borne diseases, and diseases that are caused from walking in litter or waste.
We stand by our product and by the commitment we make to our customers as stated on the inner cover of our egg carton.
Bishop's Theory on Anna Nicole Smith
From the Wisconsin State Journal:
Bishop Robert Morlino says the legal circus being waged over Anna Nicole Smith can be laid at the steps of a state that "does not protect and reinforce the marriage bond and the true definition of marriage."
Morlino, the spiritual head of the quarter-million Christians in the Madison Catholic Diocese, wrote in Thursday's edition of the Catholic Herald that "when civil law opened the door to no-fault divorce and in- vitro fertilization, the civil law started down the slippery slope that led us to the present moment."
"Tinkering with the marriage bond and the definition of marriage empowers the courts to usurp decisions that belong to the traditional family and affords great wealth to eager litigators," the bishop continued. "The natural law is the guide both to freedom and to conscience in these very sensitive matters."
One of the many things I like about Morlino is his ability to make me look at the news in a way differently than I ordinarily would. And, as a columnist for his own newspaper, he certainly has as much right to capitalize on Anna Nicole as I do in this column.
He says he is "praying frequently for the respose and soul" of Smith, which, to be honest, makes him a far better man than I am.
Bishop Robert Morlino says the legal circus being waged over Anna Nicole Smith can be laid at the steps of a state that "does not protect and reinforce the marriage bond and the true definition of marriage."
Morlino, the spiritual head of the quarter-million Christians in the Madison Catholic Diocese, wrote in Thursday's edition of the Catholic Herald that "when civil law opened the door to no-fault divorce and in- vitro fertilization, the civil law started down the slippery slope that led us to the present moment."
"Tinkering with the marriage bond and the definition of marriage empowers the courts to usurp decisions that belong to the traditional family and affords great wealth to eager litigators," the bishop continued. "The natural law is the guide both to freedom and to conscience in these very sensitive matters."
One of the many things I like about Morlino is his ability to make me look at the news in a way differently than I ordinarily would. And, as a columnist for his own newspaper, he certainly has as much right to capitalize on Anna Nicole as I do in this column.
He says he is "praying frequently for the respose and soul" of Smith, which, to be honest, makes him a far better man than I am.
Anti-Semitic Chants Seen as Chance to Educate
At a Bishop Sullivan Catholic School...from the Pilot Online:
Students at Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School will receive sensitivity training as a result of anti-Semitic chants and graffit i during a recent basketball game against rival Norfolk Academy.
Several Sullivan students met with Norfolk Academy's cultural diversity club Thursday as part of a series of events aimed at promoting tolerance, Sullivan Principal Dennis W. Price said.
"It is important that we work harder at having students leaving here who are tolerant and understand how serious these kinds of things are," he said.
Students at Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School will receive sensitivity training as a result of anti-Semitic chants and graffit i during a recent basketball game against rival Norfolk Academy.
Several Sullivan students met with Norfolk Academy's cultural diversity club Thursday as part of a series of events aimed at promoting tolerance, Sullivan Principal Dennis W. Price said.
"It is important that we work harder at having students leaving here who are tolerant and understand how serious these kinds of things are," he said.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
KFC Seeks Papal Blessing
Shouldn't it be KFF(ish)....
From Playfuls.com:
KFC President Gregg Dedrick said he sent a letter to Pope Benedict XVI asking him to bless KFC's Fish Snacker Sandwich, the company said in a news release.
From Playfuls.com:
KFC President Gregg Dedrick said he sent a letter to Pope Benedict XVI asking him to bless KFC's Fish Snacker Sandwich, the company said in a news release.
After Protests From Catholic Church
Telus Stops Selling Porn
From Bloomberg.com:
Telus Corp., Canada's second-biggest phone company, reversed its decision to sell pornography on mobile phones after customers including the Catholic Church threatened to cancel their service.
From Bloomberg.com:
Telus Corp., Canada's second-biggest phone company, reversed its decision to sell pornography on mobile phones after customers including the Catholic Church threatened to cancel their service.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Pope Benedict's Ash Wednesday Homily
From Asia News Italy:
In his homily the Pope said that “with the penitential procession we have begun the austere period of Lent. Introducing ourselves in the Eucharistic celebration we have prayed that the Lord may help the Christian people to ‘begin a journey towards true conversion so as to victoriously confront with the weapons of penance the fight against the spirit of evil’ (Opening Prayer). In receiving the ashes on the forehead, we shall listen again to a clear invitation to convert that can be expressed in a dual formula: ‘Convert and believe in the Gospel’ or ‘Remember that we come from dust and that we return to dust’.”
Benedict XVI then emphasised that “today’s liturgy and its gestures form an ensemble that anticipates the whole Lenten period,” a time “to become reconciled with God in Jesus Christ.”
“For the liturgy of Ash Wednesday,” he said, “a heartfelt conversion to God is the fundamental trait aspect of the time of Lent. It is the quite suggestive reference that comes to us from the traditional ritual of the imposition of the ashes. This ritual has a double meaning. The first refers to an inner change, to conversion and penance, whilst the second refers to the precariousness of human existence easily seen in the two expressions that accompany the gesture.”
Now “we have 40 days to deepen this extraordinary ascetic and spiritual experience.” Jesus himself tells us what are “the useful instruments to achieve a true inner and communal renewal: charity (alms), prayer and penance (fasting). These are three fundamental practices that are also dear to the Jewish tradition because they contribute to the man’s purification before God (cf Mt 6, 1-6.16-18). Such external gestures, which must be performed to please God and not to get men’s approval and consensus, are acceptable to Him if they express the heart’s determination to serve Him only in simplicity and generosity.”
“Fasting, which the Church invites us to do during this demanding time, is certainly not motivated by physical or aesthetic reasons. It stems man’s need to purify himself from within and detoxify himself from sin and evil. It teaches him to accept the beneficial renunciatory practices that free the believer from the slavery of his own self. It makes him listen more attentively to God and more available to Him and to serve his brothers. For this reason fasting and other Lenten practices are seen in the Christian tradition as spiritual ‘weapons’ in the fight against evil, wicked passions and vices.”
In his homily the Pope said that “with the penitential procession we have begun the austere period of Lent. Introducing ourselves in the Eucharistic celebration we have prayed that the Lord may help the Christian people to ‘begin a journey towards true conversion so as to victoriously confront with the weapons of penance the fight against the spirit of evil’ (Opening Prayer). In receiving the ashes on the forehead, we shall listen again to a clear invitation to convert that can be expressed in a dual formula: ‘Convert and believe in the Gospel’ or ‘Remember that we come from dust and that we return to dust’.”
Benedict XVI then emphasised that “today’s liturgy and its gestures form an ensemble that anticipates the whole Lenten period,” a time “to become reconciled with God in Jesus Christ.”
“For the liturgy of Ash Wednesday,” he said, “a heartfelt conversion to God is the fundamental trait aspect of the time of Lent. It is the quite suggestive reference that comes to us from the traditional ritual of the imposition of the ashes. This ritual has a double meaning. The first refers to an inner change, to conversion and penance, whilst the second refers to the precariousness of human existence easily seen in the two expressions that accompany the gesture.”
Now “we have 40 days to deepen this extraordinary ascetic and spiritual experience.” Jesus himself tells us what are “the useful instruments to achieve a true inner and communal renewal: charity (alms), prayer and penance (fasting). These are three fundamental practices that are also dear to the Jewish tradition because they contribute to the man’s purification before God (cf Mt 6, 1-6.16-18). Such external gestures, which must be performed to please God and not to get men’s approval and consensus, are acceptable to Him if they express the heart’s determination to serve Him only in simplicity and generosity.”
“Fasting, which the Church invites us to do during this demanding time, is certainly not motivated by physical or aesthetic reasons. It stems man’s need to purify himself from within and detoxify himself from sin and evil. It teaches him to accept the beneficial renunciatory practices that free the believer from the slavery of his own self. It makes him listen more attentively to God and more available to Him and to serve his brothers. For this reason fasting and other Lenten practices are seen in the Christian tradition as spiritual ‘weapons’ in the fight against evil, wicked passions and vices.”
Lent Begins Today
I've written a Lenten devotional that you might find a great help this Lent: The Power of the Cross: Meditations for the Lenten Season
What is it?
Daily Meditations based on the Gospel Readings of the day from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday…
- For Use as a private Lenten Devotional or
- For Use as in a Group Bible Study
Praise for The Power of the Cross: Meditations for the Lenten Season
Weekly Book Pick February 2005
For launching into Lent, Clare Siobhan recommends "The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ to Your Life" by Michael Dubruiel.
And from those who've used it in the parish as a small group devotional:
We just finished studying your book "The Power of the Cross: Meditations for the Lenten SeasonVickie Loftis, Women's Bible Study, San Juan Del Rio Catholic Church, Switzerland, FL
It was soooo Catholic and thank you for speaking the truth. We have a lot of Catholics out there (including myself) who missed these lessons over the last 20 years. We have made Catholicism what we wanted it to be. Not how is really is. I believe your book opened the eyes of a lot of the ladies in the group.
“The Power of the Cross” will be our text for adult education classes during Lent. Keep on writing!
Pastor, Saint Patrick Catholic Church, Sarasota, FL
Check inside the book on Amazon to sample what the book is like.
Ash Wednesday Thought From "God Alone Suffices"
From God Alone Suffices
:
"Though full of dignity, created in the image of God, and redeemed by the blood of the Redeemer, a person remains only ashes, and his body turns to dirt after death. If we would acknowledge this truth that permeated the lives of saints, even in a limited way, each one of us would have a deep awareness of our nothingness. We would acknowledge that we are a handful of ashes loved by God, dirt in which the Creator of the universe wants to dwell."
:"Though full of dignity, created in the image of God, and redeemed by the blood of the Redeemer, a person remains only ashes, and his body turns to dirt after death. If we would acknowledge this truth that permeated the lives of saints, even in a limited way, each one of us would have a deep awareness of our nothingness. We would acknowledge that we are a handful of ashes loved by God, dirt in which the Creator of the universe wants to dwell."
Beginning of Lent Meditation
From Lenten Meditations:
Do you want to know the secret to making this Lent truly a life changing event?Stop thinking that you are different. I know the message you get from almost every corner of the world these days is that you are unique, one of a kind--sort of like a snowflake! There is an element of truth to that, but it is not the whole truth. Because you are also just like every other human being living on this planet.Jesus wasn't like everyone else--but he did not "deem eqaulity with God" and as Saint Paul said to the Philipians, that is something "to be grasped at."So have a change of mind--repent! Stop thinking of yourself in terms of how you are different from everyone else, i.e. stop praying like the pharisee in the Gospels. Stop worrying about this group of sinners or that group and see yourself as part of all of those or more correctly all of us sinful human beings.Then start genuinely praying, "Lord have mercy on us," Lord be generous with us. We are beggars before your throne.Let the ashes on your forehead mark you as just another in the crowd of dreadful need of Jesus the savior, not as a mark of what a great Christian you are--because quite frankly if you think the latter you really aren't that great of a Christian. Humility is the key to following Christ and being a Christian.
Do you want to know the secret to making this Lent truly a life changing event?Stop thinking that you are different. I know the message you get from almost every corner of the world these days is that you are unique, one of a kind--sort of like a snowflake! There is an element of truth to that, but it is not the whole truth. Because you are also just like every other human being living on this planet.Jesus wasn't like everyone else--but he did not "deem eqaulity with God" and as Saint Paul said to the Philipians, that is something "to be grasped at."So have a change of mind--repent! Stop thinking of yourself in terms of how you are different from everyone else, i.e. stop praying like the pharisee in the Gospels. Stop worrying about this group of sinners or that group and see yourself as part of all of those or more correctly all of us sinful human beings.Then start genuinely praying, "Lord have mercy on us," Lord be generous with us. We are beggars before your throne.Let the ashes on your forehead mark you as just another in the crowd of dreadful need of Jesus the savior, not as a mark of what a great Christian you are--because quite frankly if you think the latter you really aren't that great of a Christian. Humility is the key to following Christ and being a Christian.
Ash Wednesday--Pope Benedict's General Audience
From the Vatican:
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today – Ash Wednesday – we begin our Lenten journey in a spirit of prayer and penance. From the earliest days of the Church, Lent has been a special time of preparation for Baptism. For those already baptized, Lent is a time of conversion and renewed faith. It is a time to "exercise" our desire for God by opening our hearts to the new life offered to us in Christ. Jesus exhorts us to "repent and believe in the Gospel". Only conversion can lead to true happiness, and God’s grace is needed to inspire and sustain our efforts to direct our hearts completely to him.
Conversion consists in recognizing that we depend entirely on God, who created us and redeemed us in Christ. In my Lenten message this year, I wanted to emphasize God’s immense love for us, and to invite all Christians, together with Mary and the Beloved Disciple, to draw near to the Lord, who gave his life for us on the Cross. The Cross – the definitive revelation of God’s love and mercy – is the only way to enter this mystery of saving love. This Lent, by a more fervent participation in the Eucharist, may we learn to enter more deeply into the Paschal Mystery and to "re-give" Christ’s love to others, especially the suffering and those in need.\
I am pleased to greet the pilgrimage group from the Diocese of Jelgava in Latvia, led by Bishop Antons Justs. Upon all the English-speaking visitors present at today’s Audience, especially those from England, Wales, Ireland, Finland, Japan and the United States, I cordially invoke God’s blessings for a fruitful and spiritually enriching Lent.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today – Ash Wednesday – we begin our Lenten journey in a spirit of prayer and penance. From the earliest days of the Church, Lent has been a special time of preparation for Baptism. For those already baptized, Lent is a time of conversion and renewed faith. It is a time to "exercise" our desire for God by opening our hearts to the new life offered to us in Christ. Jesus exhorts us to "repent and believe in the Gospel". Only conversion can lead to true happiness, and God’s grace is needed to inspire and sustain our efforts to direct our hearts completely to him.
Conversion consists in recognizing that we depend entirely on God, who created us and redeemed us in Christ. In my Lenten message this year, I wanted to emphasize God’s immense love for us, and to invite all Christians, together with Mary and the Beloved Disciple, to draw near to the Lord, who gave his life for us on the Cross. The Cross – the definitive revelation of God’s love and mercy – is the only way to enter this mystery of saving love. This Lent, by a more fervent participation in the Eucharist, may we learn to enter more deeply into the Paschal Mystery and to "re-give" Christ’s love to others, especially the suffering and those in need.\
I am pleased to greet the pilgrimage group from the Diocese of Jelgava in Latvia, led by Bishop Antons Justs. Upon all the English-speaking visitors present at today’s Audience, especially those from England, Wales, Ireland, Finland, Japan and the United States, I cordially invoke God’s blessings for a fruitful and spiritually enriching Lent.
Office of Readings Podcast
I couldn't find one online (there is one for Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer), so I'm setting out to do one. I have three days available and I'll try to keep at least two-three days ahead of schedule.
Of all the hours the Office of Readings makes the most sense as a podcast because it largely is made up of two substantial readings-one from Scripture, the other from a Church Father, Saint or Council.
RSS URL: http://odeo.com/channel/286253/rss.xml
Subscription Page
Of all the hours the Office of Readings makes the most sense as a podcast because it largely is made up of two substantial readings-one from Scripture, the other from a Church Father, Saint or Council.
RSS URL: http://odeo.com/channel/286253/rss.xml
Subscription Page
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Pope Benedict's Latest Q & A
With Roman Seminarians last Saturday, from Zenit.
A second-year theology student asked: "How one should address shortcomings within the Church in the most serene and responsible way?"
"Not an easy question," the Holy Father said with a smile. "But the Lord knows, he knew from the beginning that there is sin in the Church. "
And for our humility it is important to acknowledge this and to see the sin not only in others, in the structures, in the high hierarchical offices, but also in ourselves, thus being more humble with ourselves and learning that, before the Lord, one's position does not count, but what counts is to be in his love and to make his love shine."
"How is one to behave in the face of pain?"
Benedict XVI underlined the need to make it understood above all that suffering is an essential part of human maturation.
Jesus himself, the Holy Father continued, said that he had to suffer for the salvation of the world and that whoever wishes to follow him must take up his own cross.
"We are always like Peter who says to the Lord: 'No, Lord!'" the Pontiff observed. "'This cannot be the case, you must not suffer, we do not want to carry the cross, we want to create a more human, more beautiful kingdom on earth.'
"This is totally mistaken: Whoever promises a life that is only happy and comfortable, lies, because this is not the truth of man and then one flees to false paradises and precisely in this way one does not arrive at joy but at self-destruction."
Benedict XVI explained that Christianity proclaims joy to us, a joy that grows in the way of love, a path that is, however, linked to the cross. Yet, there is an obligation in the face of suffering, he said: "We must do everything possible, to overcome humanity's suffering and to help suffering people -- there are so many in the world -- to find a good life and to be freed from evils caused by ourselves: famine, epidemics, etc."
A student asked how they should relate to human weakness, when one is aware of being very far from true coherence with one's yes to God.
"It is good to acknowledge one's own weakness because in this way we know that we have need of the Lord's grace," the Pope answered. "The Lord consoles us. In the college of the apostles there was not only Judas but also the good apostles.
"Peter fell, and so many times the Lord reproached his slowness, the apostles' closed hearts, the little faith they had. Therefore, it shows us that no one of us is up to the loftiness of this great yes."
And in this awareness, added the Holy Father, there is also an attitude of continuous conversion: "To acknowledge that we are in need of a permanent conversion, and that we have never simply arrived; to accept our frailty but to stay on the path, not to give in but to go forward and through the sacrament of reconciliation to be converted ever again by a new beginning and thus grow, mature through the Lord, in our communion with the Lord."
A second-year theology student asked: "How one should address shortcomings within the Church in the most serene and responsible way?"
"Not an easy question," the Holy Father said with a smile. "But the Lord knows, he knew from the beginning that there is sin in the Church. "
And for our humility it is important to acknowledge this and to see the sin not only in others, in the structures, in the high hierarchical offices, but also in ourselves, thus being more humble with ourselves and learning that, before the Lord, one's position does not count, but what counts is to be in his love and to make his love shine."
"How is one to behave in the face of pain?"
Benedict XVI underlined the need to make it understood above all that suffering is an essential part of human maturation.
Jesus himself, the Holy Father continued, said that he had to suffer for the salvation of the world and that whoever wishes to follow him must take up his own cross.
"We are always like Peter who says to the Lord: 'No, Lord!'" the Pontiff observed. "'This cannot be the case, you must not suffer, we do not want to carry the cross, we want to create a more human, more beautiful kingdom on earth.'
"This is totally mistaken: Whoever promises a life that is only happy and comfortable, lies, because this is not the truth of man and then one flees to false paradises and precisely in this way one does not arrive at joy but at self-destruction."
Benedict XVI explained that Christianity proclaims joy to us, a joy that grows in the way of love, a path that is, however, linked to the cross. Yet, there is an obligation in the face of suffering, he said: "We must do everything possible, to overcome humanity's suffering and to help suffering people -- there are so many in the world -- to find a good life and to be freed from evils caused by ourselves: famine, epidemics, etc."
A student asked how they should relate to human weakness, when one is aware of being very far from true coherence with one's yes to God.
"It is good to acknowledge one's own weakness because in this way we know that we have need of the Lord's grace," the Pope answered. "The Lord consoles us. In the college of the apostles there was not only Judas but also the good apostles.
"Peter fell, and so many times the Lord reproached his slowness, the apostles' closed hearts, the little faith they had. Therefore, it shows us that no one of us is up to the loftiness of this great yes."
And in this awareness, added the Holy Father, there is also an attitude of continuous conversion: "To acknowledge that we are in need of a permanent conversion, and that we have never simply arrived; to accept our frailty but to stay on the path, not to give in but to go forward and through the sacrament of reconciliation to be converted ever again by a new beginning and thus grow, mature through the Lord, in our communion with the Lord."
Fr. Cantalamessa (Papal Preacher) in Central Kentucky
From the Lexington Herald:
He said Pope John Paul II, who appointed him to the post of papal preacher in 1980, stressed "exchanging gifts among the churches, not exchanging accusations." That's something Cantalamessa said he wants to encourage.
"What unites us is much more important," he said. "The Lord put love in my heart for the fellow Christians."
He said the issues that created the division between the Catholic Church and other denominations centuries ago "have lost most of their importance."
Monday, February 19, 2007
National Catholic Register Reviews The Virtue Driven Life
By Father Benedict Groeschel...
From the National Catholic Register:
That’s one reason this latest breezy read from the most popular American Franciscan of our day, Father Benedict J. Groeschel, a Capuchin Friar of the Renewal, arrives as a well-timed dose of reality. It’s medicine that tastes good and goes down easy even though it possesses potent anti-toxin properties.
Not only does the priest offer a practical primer on the qualities that constitute the three theological virtues (faith, hope and charity) and the four cardinal ones (prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance), but he also seriously challenges the reader to cultivate those qualities, little by little, in everyday living.
From the National Catholic Register:
That’s one reason this latest breezy read from the most popular American Franciscan of our day, Father Benedict J. Groeschel, a Capuchin Friar of the Renewal, arrives as a well-timed dose of reality. It’s medicine that tastes good and goes down easy even though it possesses potent anti-toxin properties.
Not only does the priest offer a practical primer on the qualities that constitute the three theological virtues (faith, hope and charity) and the four cardinal ones (prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance), but he also seriously challenges the reader to cultivate those qualities, little by little, in everyday living.
Vatican Takes Steps to Control Overcrowding
From the NY Times:
The number of visitors to the Vatican has nearly doubled in the last 10 years, hitting a high of 4.2 million in 2006, and has resulted in the overcrowding of a structure originally built to accommodate a Renaissance papal court, not up to 20,000 visitors at a time shuffling around one another.
Between enormous tour groups and rowdy school-trippers, a visit to the Vatican Museums can become “more of a traumatic than an artistic experience for tourists,” said Paola, one of several guides who were interviewed and who asked that their full names not be used for fear of offending the Vatican.
The number of visitors to the Vatican has nearly doubled in the last 10 years, hitting a high of 4.2 million in 2006, and has resulted in the overcrowding of a structure originally built to accommodate a Renaissance papal court, not up to 20,000 visitors at a time shuffling around one another.
Between enormous tour groups and rowdy school-trippers, a visit to the Vatican Museums can become “more of a traumatic than an artistic experience for tourists,” said Paola, one of several guides who were interviewed and who asked that their full names not be used for fear of offending the Vatican.
Anglicans Back Plan to Unite with Pope
Some Anglicans, anyway...
From Times Online:
Radical proposals to reunite Anglicans with the Roman Catholic Church under the leadership of the Pope are to be published this year, The Times has learnt.
The proposals have been agreed by senior bishops of both churches.
In a 42-page statement prepared by an international commission of both churches, Anglicans and Roman Catholics are urged to explore how they might reunite under the Pope.
From Times Online:
Radical proposals to reunite Anglicans with the Roman Catholic Church under the leadership of the Pope are to be published this year, The Times has learnt.
The proposals have been agreed by senior bishops of both churches.
In a 42-page statement prepared by an international commission of both churches, Anglicans and Roman Catholics are urged to explore how they might reunite under the Pope.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
The Open Book/Annunciations Bestseller's List
Our Bestseller's List
What Books People who Read Amy's Open Book blog and Michael's Annunciation blog are Buying
February 2007 (2/17/2007)
1. The Power of the Cross: Meditations for the Lenten Season
2. The How-To Book of the Mass: Everything You Need to Know but No One Ever Taught You
3. The Gift of Faith
4.(tied) Those Terrible Middle Ages: Debunking the Myths
4.(tied) The Best American Catholic Short Stories: A Sheed & Ward Collection
5. God Alone Suffices
Books that Spark the Most Interest (for this month so far):
1. Those Terrible Middle Ages: Debunking the Myths
2. The Power of the Cross: Meditations for the Lenten Season
3. The How-To Book of the Mass: Everything You Need to Know but No One Ever Taught You
4.*Inventing the Flat Earth: Columbus and Modern Historians
5.*Fire in the City: Savonarola and the Struggle for the Soul of Renaissance Florence
*People ultimately don't buy the book.
FYI, Last Month's Bestsellers:
January 2007
1. The Gift of Faith
2. When Children Became People: The Birth Of Childhood In Early Christianity
3. The Best American Catholic Short Stories: A Sheed & Ward Collection
4. God Alone Suffices
5. Behold, I stand at the Door and Knock
February 2007 (2/17/2007)
1. The Power of the Cross: Meditations for the Lenten Season
2. The How-To Book of the Mass: Everything You Need to Know but No One Ever Taught You
3. The Gift of Faith
4.(tied) Those Terrible Middle Ages: Debunking the Myths
4.(tied) The Best American Catholic Short Stories: A Sheed & Ward Collection
5. God Alone Suffices
Books that Spark the Most Interest (for this month so far):
1. Those Terrible Middle Ages: Debunking the Myths
2. The Power of the Cross: Meditations for the Lenten Season
3. The How-To Book of the Mass: Everything You Need to Know but No One Ever Taught You
4.*Inventing the Flat Earth: Columbus and Modern Historians
5.*Fire in the City: Savonarola and the Struggle for the Soul of Renaissance Florence
*People ultimately don't buy the book.
FYI, Last Month's Bestsellers:
January 2007
1. The Gift of Faith
2. When Children Became People: The Birth Of Childhood In Early Christianity
3. The Best American Catholic Short Stories: A Sheed & Ward Collection
4. God Alone Suffices
5. Behold, I stand at the Door and Knock
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