Monthly Archives: January 2008

Another Good Year for the Family Speller

Posted on 31 January 2008 by catholicsensibility

The 2008 Spelling Bee was one of my highlights of Catholics Schools Week. Brittany was in the top two of the 5th grade, and so competed against eight other spellers from the 4th through 8th grade. On the left are … Continue reading →

Posted in My Family, Parish Life | 2 Comments

Frog or Lizard?

Posted on 31 January 2008 by catholicsensibility

Having fun at the special student appreciation Catholic Schools Week lunch today. The parish staff volunteered to serve pancakes, sausage, and juice for the kids. First shift, I put out the juice and asked them, “Regular of decaf?” Then I … Continue reading →

Posted in Parish Life | 1 Comment

Good & Faithful Stewards

Posted on 31 January 2008 by catholicsensibility

Stop by to visit the group blog my staff colleagues and parishioners have constructed. I know of lots of group blogging efforts, and some from publishers or journalists under one roof (more or less) but none come to mind that … Continue reading →

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Calling in Sick

Posted on 30 January 2008 by catholicsensibility

On the other hand, maybe I will enjoy this election cycle in spots. Eric Boehlert details the woes of Fox News and doesn’t leave any room for optimism. The point is that Fox News years ago made an obvious decision … Continue reading →

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Extreme Argumentative

Posted on 30 January 2008 by catholicsensibility

Is it so surprising that many pro-lifers distance themselves from anti-abortion folks? The Vox Nova commentary on numerous threads the past day or two shows how widespread the emotional immaturity is. Some of the most passionate anti-abortion folks are harming … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary | 9 Comments

Mercury: Not So Much Like The Moon

Posted on 30 January 2008 by catholicsensibility

Early planetary probes showed the planets to be largely boring places. Mariner 4 showed Martian craters and no canals or vegetation. Venus didn’t show us a darn thing. In fact the first probe, Mariner 2, didn’t even carry a camera … Continue reading →

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Catholic Burial For Troubled Chess King

Posted on 30 January 2008 by catholicsensibility

Bobby Fischer, once the world chess champion, requested a burial according to the Catholic funeral rite. His wish seemed unusual for a man born into a Jewish family, who later was involved with an evangelical Christian sect (some would say … Continue reading →

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Explorer’s 50th Anniversary

Posted on 30 January 2008 by catholicsensibility

Celebrate the golden anniversary of the US entry into space, watching this video on the JPL site. Explorer I, launched 31 January 1958, is modeled in triumph above by William Pickering (JPL’s then-director), James Van Allen (the Iowa scientist who … Continue reading →

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Underage Lectors

Posted on 30 January 2008 by catholicsensibility

Or perhaps that should be “Underage” Lectors. My young friend Laura was recruited while in 6th grade to be a regular lector by our then- associate pastor. She had good poise and presentation skills by any adult standard, so I … Continue reading →

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Golden Rings and Icy Moons

Posted on 29 January 2008 by catholicsensibility

They’re really not golden. This is a natural color image taken from the dark side of the rings. Where they are bright, you see more sunlight poking through. That dark middle section is the most dense portion of the Saturnian … Continue reading →

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Recent Films

Posted on 28 January 2008 by catholicsensibility

We’ve been watching a lot of movies at home lately. It’s been interesting to branch out from Ebert thumbs-up flicks at the theater. In no particular order … We watched The Wedding Date, which I liked a little bit better … Continue reading →

Posted in film, My Family | 4 Comments

St Benedict Makes the APOD

Posted on 28 January 2008 by catholicsensibility

Check this link for Cosmas Damian Asam’s 1735 painting of St Benedict in Germany’s Weltenburg Abbey. The Baroque painter accurately depicts the corona of the sun which only appears during a total solar eclipse. Also depicted is the “diamond ring” … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Astronomy | Leave a comment

Infant Baptism, Weddings, Future Liturgy Series

Posted on 28 January 2008 by catholicsensibility

Just an update on liturgical matters around here. Over the next few weeks, I’ll post on each of the wedding readings, with Neil’s help on 1 Corinthians 13, and hopefully a bit more. We’ll look at the rituals of infant … Continue reading →

Posted in Liturgy, post-conciliar liturgy documents | 3 Comments

The Armchair Liturgist: Catholic Schools Week

Posted on 28 January 2008 by catholicsensibility

Greetings, all. Sorry for the weekend in exile; I do have a busy parish, you know. This past weekend, we had a quinceanero on top of our usual five parish Masses. And my wife and I celebrated twelve years of … Continue reading →

Posted in The Armchair Liturgist | 7 Comments

Lensing Through the Bench

Posted on 26 January 2008 by catholicsensibility

After I posted on the Burke-Majerus Tussle yesterday, I did visit some of my “favorite” Catholic blogs. Naturally, the usual suspects are all over the coach’s speak-out, and in such predictable ways I needn’t have bothered to surf there. What … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Liturgy | Leave a comment