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Wordless Wednesday: Now That Was a Good Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T06:47:02Z

There weren't a lot of guesses in last week's Wordless Wednesday contest. Honors go to the About.com Guide to Sikhism, Sukhmandir Kaur, for identifying the most symbols, and to Rob for figuring out why I posted the image of Saint Philip in November, rather than May. One minor correction: Rob said that Saint Philip's feast day is November 14 "in the Orthodox faith," which is correct; but it's also November 14 in the calendars of the Eastern rites of the Catholic Church, which celebrate, along with the Orthodox, Philip's Fast between that day and Christmas.

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Wordless Wednesday: Now That Was a Good Thanksgiving originally appeared on About.com Catholicism on Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 at 06:47:02.

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When Politicians and Their Bishops Clash

2009-11-24T10:05:44Z

"What does it mean to be a Catholic?"

With those eight words, Thomas J. Tobin, the bishop of Rhode Island, summed up his recent dispute with Patrick J. Kennedy, a Democratic congressman from Rhode Island and a member of Bishop Tobin's flock. Kennedy's father, the longtime Democratic senator from Massachusetts, was, until his death earlier this year, the most prominent Catholic supporter of abortion in the United States. Senator Kennedy sowed great confusion among American Catholics regarding abortion, and his son seems determined to follow in his footsteps.

Bishop Tobin's question came in response to the public claim of Kennedy that "The fact that I disagree with the hierarchy on some issues does not make me any less of a Catholic." In an open letter to Congressman Kennedy, published in his diocesan newspaper, the Rhode Island Catholic, Bishop Tobin patiently explains the substance of the Faith and the demands that it makes on all believers—especially those whose dissent from the teachings of the Church can lead others into similar error. Read more...

When Politicians and Their Bishops Clash originally appeared on About.com Catholicism on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 10:05:44.

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The End of the Anglican Communion, Revisited

2009-11-24T09:14:13Z

On October 20, 2009, when the Vatican announced Pope Benedict's overtures to disaffected Anglicans, I predicted "The End of the Anglican Communion." It's not that the Anglican Church will simply disappear or be absorbed into the Catholic Church; rather, "Those who remain in the Anglican Communion will continue to move further away from orthodoxy." Moreover, as I argued:

Despite the attempt to put a good face on the matter, today's announcement makes it clear that the ecumenical dialogue of the past 40 years has failed. At every turn, the Anglican Communion as a whole has moved away from Rome, not toward her.

If we needed any further evidence, the Holy Father's audience with Rowan Williams on Saturday has provided it. Read more...

The End of the Anglican Communion, Revisited originally appeared on About.com Catholicism on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 09:14:13.

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Novena of the Week: Miraculous Novena of Grace

2009-11-24T07:40:43Z

St. Francis Xavier, the cofounder of the Jesuits, is known as the Apostle of the East for his missionary activities in India and other Oriental countries. In preparation for his feast day (December 3), I have chosen the Miraculous Novena of Grace as our novena this week.

While the words of the prayer do not come from Saint Francis, the idea for the novena does. Eighty-one years after his death, Saint Francis appeared to a dying Jesuit priest and promised his protection to anyone who would pray this novena and go to Confession and receive Communion at least once during the nine days. It's a wonderful way to prepare ourselves for the start of Advent.

Novena of the Week: Miraculous Novena of Grace originally appeared on About.com Catholicism on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 07:40:43.

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Forum Friday: How Do You Find Your Way to the Forum?

2009-11-20T09:00:42Z

The About.com Catholicism GuideSite is more than this blog, and more even than the thousands of pages of content that you can find by clicking on the tabs at the top of the page, the "Must Reads," and the links in the "Browse Topic" section. One integral part of the site is the Catholicism Forum, and over the last year I have worked hard to draw your attention to interesting and thoughtful threads in the forum.

Last week's Forum Friday, however, resulted in not a single post to the thread I highlighted. A number of readers left comments on the Forum Friday blog post itself, but few seem to have entered the forum.

That got me thinking: When you go to the forum, how do you get there? Is there a particular link that you always follow? Do you arrive by web search? Do you always come through these Forum Friday blog posts?

Please take a moment to leave your answer on this thread: "How Did You Find Your Way to the Forum?" I hope to use your answers to figure out ways to drive more traffic to the forum, and thus to make it a more interesting place to spend your time.

Forum Friday: How Do You Find Your Way to the Forum? originally appeared on About.com Catholicism on Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 09:00:42.

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Reader Question: Are There Married Catholic Priests?

2009-11-19T07:58:06Z

Reader Preston Bolinger has asked an interesting question through our Questions About Catholicism form:

I got into an argument with a friend of mine about Catholic priests. I told her my brother is a Catholic priest and is married, but she said that was impossible. I need some kind of proof to let her know that she is wrong.

This is a question that is likely to be asked more often in the near future. Those who have followed Pope Benedict's overtures to disaffected Anglicans know that married Anglican priests who convert to Catholicism will be allowed to receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders, thus becoming married Catholic priests. This is an exception to the practice of clerical celibacy in the Roman rite of the Catholic Church, but just how unusual is it for the Church to allow married men to be ordained priests? Read more...

Reader Question: Are There Married Catholic Priests? originally appeared on About.com Catholicism on Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 07:58:06.

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Wordless Wednesday: Saint Philip, Apostle

2009-11-18T07:00:00Z

(Photo © Scott P. Richert)

We've got not one but two contests this Wordless Wednesday. For regular readers of the Catholicism GuideSite, the first one should be easy: Since Saint Philip shares a May 3 feast day with Saint James the Lesser in the Roman calendar, why did I post this stained-glass window of Saint Philip today?

The second contest this week will be familiar: Identify as many traditional symbols of Saint Philip as you can in this stained-glass window, and then briefly explain the reason why each is identified with Saint Philip. In next week's Wordless Wednesday post, I'll acknowledge the commenter who identifies and explains the most symbols, as well as the commenter who explains why I posted this image of Saint Philip when I did.

Gallery of Previous Wordless Wednesday Images

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Wordless Wednesday: Saint Philip, Apostle originally appeared on About.com Catholicism on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 07:00:00.

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Drowning in a Sea of Change

2009-11-17T11:24:20Z

Ross Douthat, the conservative columnist for the New York Times, rose to fame for his blogging on the website of The Atlantic. After six months away from blogging, Douthat now has a new blog, "Evaluations," on NYTimes.com.

In one of his first entries, "Pro-Lifers and the Patriarchy," the Catholic Douthat makes some observations that are undoubtedly correct:

Conservative Christians’ attitudes toward women in the workplace, in particular, have evolved dramatically across the last two decades, even as their pro-life convictions have remained essentially constant. . . .
During the ‘08 election, you’d often hear media types buzzing about how [Sarah] Palin was a bad mother for putting her political ambitions ahead of her family; you’d almost never hear that from pro-lifers. Some of this reflects partisan biases, obviously—but some of it reflects a real sea change in how religious conservatives view women in the workplace.

While Douthat does not come right out and say it, he seems to regard these changes in "attitudes" as moves in the right direction:

Indeed, you might say that the pro-life movement has done an impressive job of embracing, albeit slowly, the positive achievements of the feminist revolution, while remaining steadfast in its opposition to that revolution’s darker consequences. (Well, O.K., you might not say that, but I probably would.)

What Douthat does not consider in the course of the post is whether there might actually be a reason for "religious conservatives" (let alone Catholics like myself and Douthat) to view such developments with skepticism. Read more...

Drowning in a Sea of Change originally appeared on About.com Catholicism on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 11:24:20.

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Novena of the Week: Prayer for Government

2009-11-17T07:12:29Z

On November 10, 1791, the first bishop of the United States, John Carroll, wrote a beautiful prayer to be recited in parishes throughout his diocese. A cousin of Charles Carroll, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, Archbishop Carroll understood the necessary role that religion plays in guaranteeing political order, and that is expressed in the very structure of his Prayer for Government.

The prayer begins with an acknowledgment of the central role of the Church before asking God to guide our political leaders and our fellow citizens. It ends with a prayer for the repose of the souls of all those who have gone before us—an appropriate reminder in this Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory that our obligation to our fellow man does not end with his death.

As we in the United States prepare to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, I have chosen Archbishop Carroll's Prayer for Government as our novena of the week.

Novena of the Week: Prayer for Government originally appeared on About.com Catholicism on Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 at 07:12:29.

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First We Fast, Then We Feast

2009-11-16T07:46:15Z

Advent will soon be upon us, and as in most years, the first Sunday of Advent falls three days after Thanksgiving in the United States. That may help explain why, over the years, Advent has become less a period of preparation for the birth of Christ than a pre-celebration of Christmas. Most Christmas parties are held during Advent, rather than during the 12 days of Christmas (the period between Christmas Day and Epiphany), and the entire month of December becomes one big feast.

Combine all that with the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping, early gift exchanges, the baking of Christmas cookies, and plenty of eggnog, and too often we may find ourselves on Christmas Day physically prepared but not spiritually so.

The answer lies in a return to tradition. Read more...

First We Fast, Then We Feast originally appeared on About.com Catholicism on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 07:46:15.

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