The Ark and The Dove

Episcopalian news

I don't know if you have been paying any attention to the goings-on in the Episcopalian world.  You may hear/have heard something about this in the newspapers.

First Things coverage. Get Religion coverage.

Btw, this was a sort of a meme that went through the Catholic blog scene a little while ago; it was right after the John Kerry gaffe, so they put up a picture of a big family with a caption "Help us Bishop Schori, we are Catholic" misspelled and scrawled.

Parishes, cont'd

Thanks for commenting - I like the discussion.  See, sometimes I know what the exact answer is, but sometimes hear everyone weigh in ought to be a substantial part of the post.  Sorry I stole your thunder, Al. 

So so far, clearly there is some virtue in sticking with your parish.  But your first duty is to yourself and your salvation and not some abstract principle.  But that still doesn't establish where the line is.  More perspectives on this?

Sankt Nikolaus gegen den Weihnachtsmann

Anti-Santa campaign in Germany (Deutsche Welle).

If you see this in English-language newspapers, I expect that it will be reported that there is an anti-Santa movement, but they will probably just report that its backers say that they are against the commercialization of Christmas so that they sound like unreasonable grinches.  The two Catholic organizations behind it see it as a pro-St. Nicholas campaign.  Frankfurter Nicholas Initiative's Bettina Schade says she "doesn't have anything personal against Santa Claus" and likes many of the things about the cultural aspects of how Christmas is celebrated today.  But she would like to see the commercial side toned down and the religious elements emphasized.

In Germany there was never as much of a need to de-Catholic St. Nick as in Puritan-dominated America, and so der Weihnachtsmann has traditionally been much more explicitly religious, clad in red bishop's robes and a miter as he gives out gifts to to children that recall the generosity of St. Nicholas.

Not only is it annoying to religious Germans that the traditional St. Nick is being eroded by a mostly secular pop-culture Santa Claus, but it only puts salt in the wound that it is foreign pop culture - America's modern Santa Claus, you will recall, was shaped chiefly by Thomas Nast, Clement Moore, and Coca-Cola.  They are annoyed that religion and tradition are being "drowned out by Jingle Bells and ho ho ho."

The Protestants have an organization called "Christmas in December" that encourages people to at least wait until December to start Christmas festivities, rather than beginning in November or September.

Risk management

From Time, an old theme - reporting on peoples' inability to tell what the really dangerous things are.

On a related topic, what animal kills more Americans each year than any other (besides microorganisms, I suppose)?

(Answer: Deer, by car collisions [documentation])

How not to skip work

If you're a man, get a note from a doctor explaining why you need time off from work because you're pregnant.

A time where I was pleased to have my prediction proved wrong

I see the public made OJ Simpson go away and shut up.  Good work.

This is one of those things...

...where if you had predicted it a month ago, I would have laughed at you for suggesting something so absurd. 

Apparently Archbishop Milingo is teaming up with Dan Brown.

Oh, please please Lord don't let the media get ahold of this story and try to milk it.  Or if they do, let their spin backfire so that the Church is seen to be the reasonable one.  Pray for the bishop to come back to the Church.

Shocktroopers...

A Catholic Terp and Pro-life Committee leader just forwarded a link to his guest column in the Diamondback concerning a Genocide Awareness Project display to be erected this Wednesday and Thursday.

Of course, the last time I stepped near a GAP display, I got chewed out for being a pro-abortion, flaming, pinko liberal commie...(and I'm a contributor on a fairly orthodox, conservative, pro-life, anti-Marxist, Catholic blog!)...so I'll probably be keeping my distance.

Today's Gospel

The Gospel reading for the Feast of Christ the King today (well, yesterday by the time you're probably reading this) stops right before Pilate asks Him the big question: "What is truth?"

There's something neat about this passage if you read it in Latin.  "What is truth?" is "Quid est veritas?"  If you rearrange the letters in this question, you can get a good answer: "Est vir qui adest," which means "It is the man who is right here [standing before you]."  Neat, huh?

Re: Parishes (the last post)

1.) Since I wrote that last post I also heard from another source that canon law has changed as Neil said.

2.) Since I wrote that last post I have also had it called into question whether it is something that has a spirit you ought to observe even though there is no law on the books.

3.) I did not mean that to speak authoritatively as the final word in that last post.

4.) I don't know what the deal is at Notre Dame, but I can't imagine dorm chaplaincies are like a "normal" parish anyway.  I don't know whether they have any policies of their own there.

5.) Hey, Neil - have you met the Shrine of the Holy Whapping folks or are they all graduated (or undergrads who are thus outside/below your social set)?  They are whimsical Notre Dame student bloggers who are much more famous than we are.

6.) Albert tells me that he is going to write a post on the other side of this issue, with which I am totally sympathetic.