The Pill is a No-No from American Papist.

I find this picture on his blog to be highly amusing.


WASSSSUUUUUPPPP!

Pope becoming a people's man

willing to talk with those who do not share his views.

Ahhh forever trying to keep this door of hope that change of Church doctrine is the whim of the Pope and if only he would listen to his enlightened peers .... They are not just his views. They are the views of Christ and the role of the Church is to protect them and hand them down. The Pope: Doing his job.

Universal approval of Latin Missal could be on the way ...?

I think it would be a good thing.

Beautiful Churches: Our Lady of Walsingham, Houston, Texas from The Cafeteria Is Closed.

Trip to Houston now on the list.

Pope: Catholic Church's "Principal Focus" in Public Arena is Life and Family

"As far as the Catholic Church is concerned," he said, "the principal focus of her interventions in the public arena is the protection and promotion of the dignity of the person, and she is thereby consciously drawing particular attention to principles which are not negotiable."

"Among these the following emerge clearly today:

- protection of life in all its stages, from the first moment of conception until natural death;

- recognition and promotion of the natural structure of the family - as a union between a man and a woman based on marriage - and its defence from attempts to make it juridically equivalent to radically different forms of union which in reality harm it and contribute to its destabilization, obscuring its particular character and its irreplaceable social role;

- the protection of the right of parents to educate their children.

These principles are not truths of faith, even though they receive further light and confirmation from faith; they are inscribed in human nature itself and therefore they are common to all humanity."

In bold: So is this an endorsement of homeschooling? The rest is more important though. Benedict XVI ROCKS!!!

Bowling

Well ... my average is likely coming down some. I bowled a 581 tonight but I have to admit that I am really pretty happy with it. I started with a clean game -- a 211 with two doubles and the rest spares -- and then followed it with a 182 and a 188. I had some splits in those games because my line was extremely tight. If I got outside even one board I hit the Sahara and the ball dove through the nose. If I got inside a board or two it would slide some but it wouldn't carry. I was aiming two boards right of the third arrow most of the night so that made things hard as well. I only had one turkey tonight and that was it. I missed one single pin spare. I picked up the rest so my spare percentage was very high. All in all a great series for struggling to find my line all night.

One more week to keep my season average above 200.

2006 Yearbook of Churches reflects membership and growth trends

Basic summary. Catholic Church on the increase. LDS on the increase.

Mainline Protestant denominations on the decline. Conservative Evangelical churches and charismatic churches on the rise. Orthodox church on the rise (big time).

Noticing a trend here?

A response on DCF - Bonaventure

-The Arians thought the Church was way too focused on the Divinity of Christ.
-The gnostics thought the Church was way too focused on physical reality
-The pagans thought the Church was way too focused on there being only one God.
-The Jews think that the Church is way too focused on the New Covenant and forgets about them
-The Orthodox think that the Church is too focused on the Papacy.
-Protestants think the Church is too focused on works, tradition, Mary, etc.
-The feminists of today think the Church is way too focused on being male dominated.
-Politicians think the Church is meddles in political affairs too much.
-Communists think the Church focuses too much on private property
-Fideists think the Church focuses too much on the use of reason.
-Rationalists think the Church focuses too much on Faith.
-Existentialists think the Church focuses too much on essence and not existence.
-Relativists think the Church focuses too much on truth

And yes, the modern man who sees himself as free to do anything he wants at any time he wants, especially sexually, is going to project his own personal sinfulness onto the Church, just like all the groups above. He will immediately blame the Church for what he wants to reject.

So who is obsessed?

Well XP crashed on me. First time ever.

I thought I had lost some things I was intending on linking in on this short session tonight. When the crash occurred I was somewhat disappointed because I KNEW I was going to forget what they were. Lo and behold I apparently had installed an extension that saves sessions when Firefox crashes. Firefox loaded with 3 tabs containing the items I was looking at ...

Thus you get:

Babies are so cute

Race and the Catholic Church

Of course what really got my interest was this gem of a quote:

What they have learned is that butting heads with a 2,000-year-old institution is no easy task. People at every level of church hierarchy have told them the same thing: The Catholic Church is no democracy.

I am a newbie and even *I* get that much.

Jimmy Akin -- Always good for this type of thing: Lego Parish

I built a Lego church once and my son destroyed it. I will do so again one day and once again he will likely destroy it.

Some personal notes ...

Bowling: I am currently averaging 202 and I am 21 games into this league. I found out today that carrying a 200 average over 36 games in one league and paying $100+ will get me membership in the PBA. Woo Hoo!!! I would never compete in tournaments though. I just want that cool benefit of $1 games at participating bowling alleys. I think I can bowl enough in a given year to offset that cost.

Work: Major project coming to a close and it looks like things are a GO for heading into production. I will start actually getting some sleep at night. Woo Hoo #2!!!

I have adoration in a couple of hours.

Don't have much time so you only get ONE item today ...

A Jazzman's Conversion Story which links to the article: Notre Dame honors Dave Brubeck
File under: You learn something new every day. Dave Brubeck of "Take Five" fame (rated 100 on my LAUNCHCast station BTW) converted to Catholicism. How bout them apples?

Many, including myslef, have read their way into the Church; with An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, Venerable John Henry Newman was said to have wriiten his way into the Church; Mr. Brubeck composed his way into the Church!

I read my way. Did I mention that I love conversion stories or even snippets like this?

Matthew 26:40 - Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter.

My wife and I have taken two slots in the perpetual adoration lineup at our church. One hour a week. Why? Because as our priest says during mass after the consecration "This is Jesus Christ" ....



So music answers the tough questions eh?

Ripped this idea from Dappled Things
Instructions: Go to your music player of choice and put it on shuffle. Say the following questions aloud, and press play. Use the song title as the answer to the question. NO CHEATING.

How does the world see you? A Horse With No Name - America
Will I have a happy life? Wishing Well - Terrance Trent D'Arby
What do my friends really think of me? What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 1) - DJ Shadow
What do people secretly think of me? Leave It - Yes
How can I be happy? Fire Coming Out Of The Monkey's Head - Gorillaz
What should I do with my life? Humanity - A Guy Called Gerald
Will I ever have children? (I already have 3 but lets see anyway) Shopping Trolley - Beth Orton
What is some good advice for me? Today - Talk Talk
How will I be remembered? Our House - Madness
What is my signature dancing song? La Guerve - Les Nubians
What do I think my current theme song is? Our Day - Colette
What does everyone else think my current theme song is? Outlands - The Orb
What song will play at my funeral? Strangers - Portishead
What type of men/women do you like? Can I Kick It? - A Tribe Called Quest
What is my day going to be like? Back In The Day (Puff) - Erykah Badu

All I got out of this was the humbling realization that the music I listen to, by and large, offers no answers to the pressing issues in life.

... and because I always like railing against contraception ...

No Room for Contraception via DeoOmnisGloria.com

Catholic Minimalism

On the liberal side it'll go something like this...
"Well, abortion is not a dogma, so I can dissent from it and still be a good Catholic"

On the conservative side, it'll go something like this...
"Well, this Catholic social teaching is not about abortion, euthanasia or homosexuality, so we don't actually HAVE to obey it."

To me this has been one of the toughest things about becoming Catholic. I spent my entire life being shuffled into a political identity only to find out it is grossly inadequate to answer any questions of real substance. Furthermore, the truth tends to offend both ideological sensibilities in one way or another.

Dissenting Enigma machine found

Original coded Message:
“The Church is not adhering to the Spirit of Vatican II”

Same message after decoding by the D-Enigma machine:
“The actual documents of Vatican II don’t support my position so I’m going to appeal to something intangible like the feelings and emotions of dissenters who went to Vatican II and then later misrepresented it in the public arena.”

HAHA!!!! LOL FUNNY

BTW I am noticing myself reading the above two blogs on a regular basis. Expect them to be added to my blog roll in the near future.

Check out my Yahoo Avatar (scroll down some .. disco guy) .. Blea Fleck - Bigfoot playing on Yahoo Music (LAUNCH) ... Victor Wooten is unreal good.

Expert Says Time For Change In Catholic Church

"The tradition in Boston and the United States is liberty, and freedom, and constitution, people, so I say we need a people's church(???) in the United States, a homegrown Catholicism would look more like the country itself," he says. "The Catholic Church has to change or it is going to end up as a museum piece."

Apparently "expert" means wrote a book. I have a blog just so you know. As far as the peoples Christianity goes I would say we already have that. There is a denomination for just about any belief set within Christianity. I church hopped for years until I got the crazy idea that there exists truth somewhere and somebody might have it. I even considered that I might not be comfortable with it BUT that it is imperative to go where it is. Enter the Catholic Church.

Now, maybe I am dense, but I have never seen the positions of the Catholic Church as having been particularly popular. It sure doesn't seem so, even from the writings that the Church itself has preserved. If the Catholic Church has survived this long I don't think the novel idea that truth is subject to popular vote is going to make much of a dent in the next 2000 years.

Gloria Virtutis Umbra: Romeward Bound
"They say all roads lead to Rome. This is one Protestant's journey in the conversion to the Roman Catholic Church...."

I love conversions!!!

Let Catholic Charities Be Catholic

Yet children are not a commodity that all should “have,” and no one has the right to adopt. Children do, however, have the right to a mother and a father. Adoption is not about filling an emotional void in adults’ lives, but offering a stable home to unfortunate children.

So while we are at it ... Can I get some voices for letting Catholic pharmacists be Catholic?

Legionaries of Christ

I had a comment on my blog in the past few days accusing Legionaires of Christ of being a cult. IMHO that is quite a high charge. In addition, the offered Regain link provides little evidence to sway my opinion. Of course it must be said that the thinly fact based response that Legionaries offers up (LegionariesFacts) doesn't leave me leaping with joy that the facts are clear. Anyway if anyone is interested in my opinion and how I came to it read Regnum Christi: controversy and my thoughts. We have since decided to homeschool thus ....

I have no dog in this hunt. I am neither LC nor RC and I have no intention of being either. The charge of cult is high indeed. I want proof that the institutional statutes are to blame here rather than a case of bad apples spoiling the bunch. Show me, in the words of the Legionaries of Christ, that they are a cult. I expect that of my opponents about the Church. Why would I expect less with an order within the Church?

The liberal baby bust which I picked up off of Mark Shea's obscure and lightly visited blog.

This, in addition to the Roe Effect, spells doom for secular liberalism. It is just a matter of time. God willing my wife and I will raise many religiously conservative minded Catholics. "God would not let evil occur if not a greater good would come of it" - St Augustine (I think I got the wording right)

I can't trumpet the success of the devil though. I just can't help but feel sad about this. I worry that the religiously conservative increase will usher in another era of revolt, where certain religious values deemed as predominantly liberal** (care for the poor and elderly, sensible environmentalism, fighting against the death penalty) will be jettisoned in favor of a new era of conservatism whose god is capitalism and whose target of morality becomes art and culture rather than the certainly greater evils of the culture of death. A completely conservative world as defined by our American culture is not one I am eager to enter into. Its not an either/or proposition.

See also The Return of Patriarchy which gives some numbers about this phenomenon.

** not that those movements are uniquely liberal -- see crunchy conservatism for example.

Author Dan Brown was back in court on Tuesday to answer claims he plagiarized the work of two historians for his best-seller "The Da Vinci Code" about which Mark Shea points out that nobody sues a World War II historian for stealing the idea that Hitler invaded Poland.

So is this suit tantamount to admitting the whole premise is fictional? Oh, wait a second, everyone keeps reminding me that it IS in fact fiction. Silly me.

A bias against having babies has permeated our culture

HT to Jeff Miller (Curt Jester)

Found this on DCF. Noting for future reference ...

Gutenberg Bible: View the British Library's Digital Versions Online - Online version of the Gutenberg Bible printed in the late 1400's.

That is ... prior to the Council of Trent and the Protestant reformation and which includes the Deuterocanon. How could they have guessed which books the Catholics were going to add to the canon some 75 years later? Crazy I tell you. :)

Better yet, how did these guys guess?

I could post for weeks on my recent two week work trip. I was afforded a few days off to go to Paris with my wife. That ended up being quite possibly the most memorable weekend of my life. This is a quick unorganized summary ....

London

I wish I had been there on vacation. I put in really long hours, especially after the first few days.

Westminster Cathedral

Most impressive to me is the area containing a list of the popes (since the time of St. Augustine of Canterbury) and the English Catholic patriarchs throughout history. It really tied together my time as an Episcopalian to my reversion back to the Catholic faith. I get English Catholicism so much more than I do American Catholicism. There seems to be a tremendous focus on beauty and on GOOD music. The choirs at Westminster Cathedral were a delight to hear.

I like the London Underground. I felt so in touch with the world travelling by train with the people who call London home. People do not seem to hide where they are in life. If they are depressed on the train, you can see it in their eyes. If they are happy, you can see it in their smile. Several songs by the Pet Shop Boys that I used to listen to came into far clearer focus because they are about life in London, which for many people includes frequent rides on the tube trains. On Valentines night I was alone in London and managed to get out a little. I noticed at the beginning of the night that many happy couples were walking around London. By the middle of my night a few couples were on the trains and many of them had sour nights and it was clear. I saw one girl in tears changing trains. I saw another couple where they remained silent and the man got off the train at one station to be dismissed with total silence by his date. It was sad to see the dates that were ending on bad terms. It was real life though. Relationships end on bad terms all the time. I easily can forget that because I am not going through that part of life any more. What struck me most about that exchange is how much into the lives of others you can see in a major city. London is like a small town in that sense except that you do not necessarily know the names of the people you very well can identify with. Living most of my life in suburbia has had me pretty isolated from the plight of others. Its easy for us to see the spec in others eyes when we cannot identify with them. I think the city has that advantage over the middle sized town, especially one like London that is walking friendly. Suburban United States is designed with the car in mind. We are in our boxes and away from others. It helps us develop an isolated mentality. If there is one thing I think Americans need to solve it is the issue of being disconnected. Most of it has to do with when and how things were developed in this country. It isn't the fault of America that trains and cars developed before most of its towns and cities. Its a growing pain that hopefully future generations will solve in order to get more people in touch and all us to see on a daily basis the plight of the rest of the world.

Back to the trains ... I am so nerdy that the only t-shirt I bought in London was one with the tube map on it.

Paris

My wife came into town and we went to Paris. We took the Eurostar through the chunnel. What impressed me was how every small town was organized. Houses were grouped closely together with a spire shooting high into the air. These churches were all old too. The closer we got to Paris, the older they got. It was a joy to see.

Louvre

Next time we go to Paris (hopefully there will be a next time) I plan to carve out a week just for The Louvre. I saw the massive crowds around the Mona Lisa. I stopped to wonder if the Da Vinci Code was the reason behind that or if it has always been that popular. Turning around made that thought go away as The Wedding Feast at Cana is on the opposite wall.

Other must sees for the Catholic is the whole path leading from "The Wedding Feast at Cana" back to The Madonna and Child in Majesty Surrounded by Angels. When you get there you spend your moment nearly crying and then you head back through the hallway to see paintings by Fra Angelico, the patron saint of artists. I wish we had gotten around to seeing more religious art but we only had a day so we really only spent a few hours there.

La Sainte-Chapelle

Honestly I thought this was going to be a church so I was a little disappointed to have to pay for entry. Then I realized that while mass may have been said here at one time it was primarily used to house relics of the Passion. I register a high level of suspicion about these relics of the Passion, which are now at the Cathedral down the street. Still, they have been around (documented at least) for 1600 years. Sainte Chapelle is as they say. It is like standing in a jewel. It is best just to sit down and enjoy the sun shining out from beind the clouds. It amplifies the experience to feel like the jewel is glowing brighter and fading back. It was like the building had passion.

-- OK -- A couple of snide comments. Obviously Catholics knew nothing about the Bible in the 12th centrury which is why the widows in Sainte-Chapelle are essentially an illustrated narrative of Sacred Scripture. It is also interesting to see how the ignorant superstitious and un-elnlightened generations of old were able to build monuments able to last the centuries. Since popular culture extends the Dark Ages into the Middle Ages as time periods to be wholly forgotten and purged from our collective history, I thought I might point out that some wonders of the world somehow managed to find their way into existence during this most useless time frame.

Notre Dame Cathedral

The web site isn't superbly organized but spend some time there (Oh, and you might want to suffer using IE to view the site ... offer it up) ... View especially the areas about the relics. By the way, if you go, it is worth the extra 2 euros to get see the reliquaries. It was amazing to me to be standing in the presence of those rose windows. When I did some research to find images to put on the right column of this blog I happened upon the rose windows at Notre Dame ALL the time.

Also, kudos to Skype which allowed me to talk to my wife every night for free.

Anyway ... I hope to write more on this later. I wanted to post it as is because I am having a hard time getting time to complete my thoughts.

10 mistakes conservatives make in art and entertainment (via A conservative blog for peace)

I'll have comments on this soon specially since I spent the weekend in Paris and saw the Lourve, Sainte Chapelle and Notre Dame.

Hopefully I will have time tomorrow night.

my blog is near the top on a Yahoo web search for the terms: excuses to avoid the in-laws

Posting from London BTW ... I have had an interesting trip so far. I wish work was less interesting. I will feel better when the details are worked out. I finally understand what is meant by the phrase "the devil is in the details". All of the major hurdles seem cleared. Its these little nuisances that seem to be interrupting things.

Hopefully I will post later. I ran into an article that is worth sharing.

Actually, I may end up posting more provided I can get a decent connection to the Internet at night. For a few days though, I am out.

I had some thoughts tonight that I wanted to capture....

Catholics are free to believe in true love. You know the kind that movies are made about that always end with the line "and they lived happily ever after". The reason this is so is because Catholics realize that in Christ one can attain perfection. Not a covering of a permanent imperfection but perfection made complete in Christ. One realizes that as each year of marriage ticks by you always have a choice. You can listen to what the world says is going to happen tomorrow in your marriage or you can listen to what your heart really tells you about marriage. Happily ever after is attainable. The answer, as it is to every important question in life, is Jesus Christ.

The path however is a most unexpected one to the young "happily ever after" mindset. Sacrifice. It is what Christ did for us and it is His greatest example as to what extent our love must take for others. "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13). I heard the following this week when I mentioned that I get up at night frequently to help the kids get back to sleep: "You work long hours and your wife stays at home all day. Why should you get up with the kids?" ... at the time I was lost for words. Since then I have had a little time to reflect upon it.

I hear about how men are supposed to have their thumb on the relationship. Its about control. Failing to exhibit "authority" is failing in your marriage as "the man". This is an incomplete viewpoint. To these real men, I simply respond that rightful authority is granted by love. Submission in spiritual matters is much easier when the man has demonstrated a firm grasp of sacrificial love to his wife. It has nothing to do with a "right" that men should or shouldn't have in a relationship. That right would not exist if not granted by God Himself and demonstrated most perfectly in the sacrifice of Christ Himself. Men love to trot out Ephesians 5 with pride and flamboyance: "wives submit to your husbands" (v22) yet it amazes me to regularly hear the quotations stop there. Why are so many men failing to read the words aimed directly at them? "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her". (v25) -- GAVE HIMSELF UP -- It is about sacrifice. I get up with the kids because in the language of love an action of sacrifice says "I love you" louder than any box of candy, flowers or late night stroll ever will. It is the least I can do for the sacrifice my wife makes in performing the jobs of day care, cleaning and cafeteria personnel on a daily basis. It certainly isn't in the category of giving up my life which is the extent to which a Christian husband is expected to love his wife.

It seems exceptional marriages consist of couples who believe that there is a happily ever after. The difference is that they understand that its meaning is wholly contrary to that which is peddled in our culture. So men, read the parts directed at you. Make the real effort. Love your wife.

I didn're realize that National Review had an article about the Black Legend back in June. Here it is: The Real Inquisition - Investigating the popular myth.

Personal notes:

I am going to be staying in London for two weeks for work. My wife will make it for one of the weekends while I am there. I have asked the question on DCF about what places Catholics shouldn't miss. Here is the short list so far:

London Oratory Church

"This flamboyant Italianate church is a monument to the English Catholic revival of the late-19th century. The Brompton Oratory was established by John Henry Newman, who was later to become Cardinal Newman." - (source)

As a Cardinal Newman fan myself, I figure this needs to be on the short list of places I visit.

Tyburn Covent

Home of the Tyburn Tree which is where many criminals were executed in England over the centuries. From the website: "More than 350 Catholic Martyrs [who] witnessed to their faith by dying for it" here.

On my own I figured out that I would be close to Westminster Cathedral which offers a daily mass that I should be able to attend. I noticed also that there will be a concert on one of the nights that I am there so I am pretty sure I will be spending a great deal of time in church there.

If anyone who reads this has been to London and has any further suggestions, let me know.

Comments are available just below ;)

On a personal note -- tonight I bowled my first sanctioned 700 series. As noted in the title it was a 726.

The bad news -- It was week one ... I set a 242 average. I have never averaged 200 before over a whole league for any period even in a short summer league. In fact, I have only bowled five or so sanctioned 600 series in my life.

The nine strikes in a row straddling games 2 (3 in the 10th) and 3 (6 in a row) are also a record for me in league. I had a string of 6 in a row in all three games.

Anyway ... I am thrilled. WOO HOO!!!

Right to Life Act

This is an interesting angle at sinking Roe v Wade. Sadly, many in the pro-life camp will immediately note that using the birth control pill would become illegal. That is why I place the likelihood of passage of this bill next to nil. With God, however, all things are possible.

State of US Catholic Church at beginning of 2006 - There is good news and there is not so good news. I pulled some choice quotes and I encourage you to read the rest.

For example, Catholics in the US make up six percent of the global Catholic population, but 12 percent of the bishops in the Church and 14 percent of the priests. The US alone has more priests than the top three Catholic countries combined (41,000 in the US to 37,000 in Brazil, Mexico and the Philippines combined). This makes talk of a "priest shortage" in the US almost laughable, at least in comparison with many countries struggling to care for much larger Catholic populations.
...
The only religious congregations showing signs of life and attracting many vocations are strongly faithful and evangelizing men's congregations like the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and the Legionaries of Christ. Similarly, among women, congregations that wear full habit and have a strong prayer and community life are drawing many vocations — the Nashville Dominicans and Mother Angelica's Poor Clares being outstanding examples. The traditional Carmels also continue to attract a steady stream of young vocations.Full Circle: not to mention the fact that the dioceses that are producing the most vocations are the most orthodox ones
...
Over the last 30 years or so, a dozen or more new Catholic colleges have been founded, partly in reaction to the increasing secularization of the nominal Catholic institutions. Most of them are flourishing, though many are not large institutions. Franciscan University of Steubenville, the University of Dallas, and the newly founded Ave Maria University stand out among the larger faithful institutions, while Thomas Aquinas College and Christendom College stand out among the smaller schools. All have a required core curriculum for the liberal arts, including theology and philosophy.
...
More distressing is the American custom of reception of Holy Communion by virtually every layperson who attends Mass on Sunday. Given the dramatic decline in the reception of the Sacrament of Penance and the drop in belief in the Divine Presence in the Eucharist, there must be many objectively sacrilegious communions. Much catechetical work needs to be done.
...
Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, Catholics tend to contracept at the same rate as the rest of the world. Hence the number of children per Catholic family is not significantly different from that of non-Catholics.

On conversion and rejection, or lack thereof

I think part of this has to do with the public school system actively pushing relativism. My entire generation is overwhelmingly infested with it, myself 10 years ago included. For example, it was quite clear to me when I first started reading the New Testament on my own that there were quite a few things that didn't quite jive with the "ho hum all is OK" theology that I was being fed at the church I was attending at the time. In reality, the brand of Christianity I was being taught was "let people in on this Jesus gig" and let them be after that. Focus on Jesus (Whatever your idea of that may be) and all of those frightening warnings from Paul and all of those other "divisive" teachings were just that ... divisive. The fact is the differences are important.

After my conversion I noticed that my friends divided into three camps.

1. Those that were vocally opposed to my conversion on doctrinal grounds
2. Those that were silently opposed to my conversion on doctrinal grounds
3. Those that thought it was A OK that Christ was doing such a wonderful thing in my life which happened to be strikingly opposed to what Christ was doing in their life.

In all honestly I initially felt most grieved by those in camp 1 because they dared to make a stink about my conversion. After a long time of thinking about it though, the ones in camp 3 disturb me the most. Those in camp 1 generally get upset because you challenge their comfort zone by telling them that what they believe to be true might have severe flaws. We all went through that in our own conversions. That said, truth matters and they know it. It wouldn't have upset them otherwise.

John 14:6a Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life."

Vatican City

I am sure if I had looked at "famous places" I would have had an easier time. I am familiar with Italy now though :)

Mark Shea had these linked the other day ... they really are worth the time to watch. Everyone at our office is yelling WOOOAHHHHWWW!!! I am sure that will last a couple of weeks.
Terry's World
Draft Day
OSPN Office Athlete of the Year
Sensitivity Training
Terry takes a vacation

They are also saying "True dat" and DOUBLE TRUE courtesy of
The Chronic-WHAT-cles of Narnia

CVSTOS FIDEI: Europe May Force Priests To Marry Homosexuals

I can see this happening even in this country in the name of individual rights trumping freedom of religion. In fact, I have an inkling that arguing that religions preventing the free exercise of "personal" versions of said religions is a violation of freedom of religion might be part of the argument used to drive this.

I guess I have little faith in legal authorities in this country having any sympathy for the Church. Call me a pessimist. Catholic Charities is already being legally required to provide contraception to its employees. How much of a stretch is it to require that the Church dispense the sacraments to whomever wants to have them? After all that seems to be the argument the pro-Kerry receiving communion camp was running with when it came to pro-aborts receiving communion. Isn't it a right?

My pessimism aside this is an area where I think prayer is needed.

And I still get visitors, most of them by way of common spelling errors directing people my way AND from the pictures I have linked of the destruction of Holly Beach by Hurricane Rita. Some people have even decided to stay and read my blog. Thanks.

Whether you are delighted or appalled, WELCOME.

Back to my regularly scheduled "not enough time to post things to my blog"

I have a few things I would like to comment on ... hopefully soon ...