Friday, December 26, 2003

Chris of Maine Catholic and Beyond is having a poll to determine the "Catholic of the Year". (scroll down to the bottom for the poll). The poll's exact wording is:

"Which of the following people would you consider the Catholic who had the most impact on the Faith in 2003?"

And the nominees are :

Cardinal Francis Arinze
Bishop Raymond L. Burke
Bishop Timothy Dolan
Mel Gibson
Fr. Benedict Groeschel
Scott Hahn
Peggy Noonan
Archbishop Sean O'Malley
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
Mark Shea
Cardinal Angelo Soldano
George Weigel


I won't tell you who is in the lead or anything but after the voting is over I will discuss my nomination and vote.

Wednesday, December 24, 2003

MERRY CHRISTMAS
"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shown round about them. And they were so afraid. And the angel said unto them: Fear not, for behold, I bring you tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you. Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. And suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, goodwill toward men.

... That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."


Sunday, December 21, 2003

In Mexico, a Very Slow Build
Cathedral Nears Finish After 106 Years of Tumult


"Zamora, Mexico - On a festive day in 1898, workers laid the cornerstone for the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Guadalupe, boasting that their little strawberry-growing town in central Mexico would soon have a towering neo-Gothic cathedral to rival the grandest in Europe.

Nearly 106 years later workmen are still cutting stone and hauling mortar, saying that within two years they will finally finish a project that has soared and suffered through a century of Mexico's tumultuous relationship with the Roman Catholic Church. "


Eve Tushnet links to Godspy's interview with Barbara Nicolosi of Church of the Masses. Great interview, just go and read the whole thing.

"When I was watching The Passion I thought, in this particular moment, where we're coming out of the priest sex scandal and all the rest, the Church in a slumber -we've negotiated terms with the world in every quadrant, we've just settled in. We're not leaven in the dough, we are the dough. We're mostly indistinguishable from "the world" in so many places, in every profession. All of a sudden this movie comes out. It's going to rank with some of the greatest works of devout art that the Church has ever produced. I have absolutely no problem saying that. It's right up there with the other masters of their art forms. We don't deserve this film."