Crossword solvers and constructors: alert!

Hey, gang! Alden and I just got a cool new client—folks who are in the final stages of a game combining crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, brain-teasing hints from old and new game shows like "Concentration," "Wheel of Fortune" and even "Jeopardy!" What a blast!

I realize experienced American-style crossword puzzlers aren't the main readers of this blog, but if you are one, or know of one, drop me a line!

Look out, firefighter Frank Ricci -- Sotomayor supporters are out to get you!

Judge Ruth Ginsberg on Roe, according to Bill Donohue

Excerpts of a New York Times Magazine interview with Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which will appear on July 12, include the following quote by the Supreme Court Justice about the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion: “Frankly I had thought that at the time Roe was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don’t want to have too many of.”

Stay tuned to see if the NYT prints this. (Sheesh.)

The president seens the sights in Rome...

Obama: Baby Got Barack

(Sorry...couldn't resist)

Welcome, Benedict Bettinelli!

Dom and Melanie's boy was born today!

Make new friends...they're saints!

Okay, there's Twitter and Facebook and all sorts of ways to make and keep contact with your earthly friends. And that's great! But let's not forget those "cloud of witnesses"—the saints—who right now are cheering us on from our eventual home.

Although the Church calendar honors many saints, there are gazillions who aren't necessarily recognized in the liturgy of the day but are saints nevertheless. One way to meet them? Check out the Saint of the Day.

In just a few minutes, you can learn about the essentials that made holy men and women friends of God—and your friends, too. And, you can ask them to pray for you…they'll be happy to do so!

Saint of the Day—because nobody can have too many friends.

Saint Faustina makes the "Saturday Evening Post"

Really good read:

Miracle on the Hudson

Father Z on "toning down the rhetoric...and why we probably won't do it"

Chittister graciously demonstrates the reason for the Vatican's "nun" inquisition

Modestly dubbing herself as "A Voice of Reason," the lady opens with her never failing blatherskite:

Well, we're in trouble now. U.S. bishops, not all of them but clearly a vocal few, have brought the church to the point of serious confusion. By denouncing Notre Dame for inviting President Obama to give the university's 2009 commencement address and, in the course of that ceremony, to receive the honorary degree awarded to eight U.S. presidents before him, the bishops are surely in an awkward position. To say the least.

The problem is that on July 10, Pope Benedict XVI will receive President Obama at the Vatican itself. That kind of reception is, of course, no small honor for anyone and surely a symbol of dialogue and listening at the highest level of Vatican diplomacy.

So will those same bishops denounce the Vatican, too, as they did Notre Dame? And if not, what is that saying?

Look, sis. While Our Fearsome Leader might—actually, outta—consider an audience with the Holy Father an "honor" (and somehow, a doubt is niggling at the back of my mind, no doubt unworthy of me), the Holy Father isn't giving the guy an Emmy, an Oscar, an Honorary Degree, or even a silver star to stick on his forehead.

For Heaven's sake, please Lord, start this investigation now!

Sheesh.

Freedom Prayer

Archbishop Allan Vigneron of Detroit posted this beautiful Independence Day prayer on the archdiocesan website. (H/T Father Dennis Brown)

You must try Colleen Hammond's daughter's...

...no fail PERFECT flaky pie crust!

Obama: "expect a `robust conscience clause'"

The President met with some Catholic media types yesterday.

Obama began the meeting with brief remarks, describing his conversation with the Holy Father just after his election, the National Catholic Register reported. The president said he looks forward to his meeting with Pope Benedict next week, especially to discuss immigration, climate change and the Middle East.

All important issues, to be sure, but not the issue.

President Obama said he views the Holy See in some ways like a government, with whom he will sometimes agree and sometimes disagree, but also as more than a government, because of the influential role played by the Church across America and throughout the world.

More than a government? Well, yes. Remember "My Kingdom is not of this world"?

Father Owen Kearns, editor in chief and publisher of The National Catholic Register, observed, “The most noteworthy thing during the meeting was his dispelling of what you might call the expectation of the worst regarding conscience clauses.”

Obama told those gathered that he had only reversed the Bush-administration’s conscience provisions because “it hadn't been properly reviewed” and there were questions about “how broad it might be and what its manifestations would be once implemented.”

Yet Obama assured people that “my underlying position has always been consistent, which is I'm a believer in conscience clauses.”

My not-so-underlying position is: I disapprove of abortion and killing of any type.

Father Kearns also commented on Obama’s treatment of the divide between conservative and liberal Catholics. “After the first question, from the National Catholic Reporter's Joe Feuerherd, the president jokingly asked, ‘Was there really [a controversy at Notre Dame]?’”

Yuk yuk.

Regarding the division of opinions within the Church, Obama said he believes that “the American bishops represent a cross section of opinion just like other groups do,” said the National Catholic Reporter.

Uh...Eminences and Excellencies? The above quote is your challenge. You're not "just like other groups." For the love of God, will you get your acts together?

Nun investigation

First of all, there's a difference–I think—between religious sisters and nuns. Anybody with more info, please chime in.

Anyway:

The Vatican is quietly conducting two sweeping investigations of American nuns, a development that has startled nuns who fear they are the targets of a doctrinal inquisition.

Good. And I'm not at all offended by the word "inquisition" and don't you folks be cowed by it either, please.

Nuns were the often-unsung workers who helped build the Roman Catholic Church in this country, planting schools and hospitals and keeping parishes humming. But for the last three decades, their numbers have been declining - to 60,000 today from 180,000 in 1965.

Not good. The declining numbers, I mean. The "unsung workers" label is a good thing. We're not supposed to look for kudos.

While some nuns say they are grateful that the Vatican is finally paying attention to their dwindling communities, many fear that the real motivation is to reel in American nuns who have reinterpreted their calling for the modern world.

First clause good. Second clause? Silly.

In the last four decades since the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, many American nuns stopped wearing their religious habits, left their convents to live independently, and went into new lines of work: academia and other professions, social and political advocacy, and grass-roots organizations that serve the poor or promote spirituality. A few nuns have also been active in organizations that advocate changes in the church like ordaining women.

Not. Good. At. All. We all know these "few" ladies.

Here's the whole article.

Because ultrasounds are evil?

Connecticut Governor Rell Signs Bill Banning Ultrasounds Without Medical Reason

Music in Utero: The Smile of the Unborn

While we knew that mothers often sing to their unborn children, we weren’t sure that the unborn child could hear them.

We are now. A segment of The Music Instinct featured Sheila C. Woodward of the University of Southern California, who has studied fetal responses to music. A camera and a microphone designed for underwater use were inserted into the uterus of a pregnant woman. And then Woodward sang.

The hydrophone picked up two sounds: the “whooshing” of the uterine artery and the unmistakable sound of a woman singing a lullaby.

Then something extraordinary happened...

Read it. And if you saw the PBS documentary, tell us about it.

Wanda Clark, R.I.P.

I would so much appreciate your prayers for the repose of the soul of my mother-in-law, Wanda Clark who died suddenly and unexpectedly this morning.

Mom Clark is my late husband Bill's mom.

Please pray, too, for her children, children-in-law, grandchildren and great-grand children. Thank you so much.

I love you, Mom. Requiescat in pace.

Why I'm not as euphoric at the demise of the Caritas-Centene deal as my fellow pro-lifers seem to be

In keeping with the ethical directives that bind Catholic hospitals, Caritas facilities will continue the practice of not providing abortion or sterilizations.

This, of course, is good. Hell, it's expected!

Caritas refers privately insured patients who seek such services to their insurance providers and will do the same with state-insured patients who seek treatment via Commonwealth Care.

This sucks. Always has. Always will.

Unless I'm misreading certain commentators, the logic seems to be thus:

If one doesn't receive earthly profit in an abortion, then all is honky-dory.

An analogy:

Judy calls me and asks me to help her procure an abortion. I contact a doctor for her, who performs the evil deed and gives me a percentage of Judy's fee. That's bad.

OR:

Judy calls me and asks me to help her procure an abortion. I tell her I cannot do this, since it is against my "policy," but give her the number of, let's say, Planned Parenthood.

Or, if I'm squeamish about this, I advise her to google abortion providers in her area.

Or, if I'm even squeamish about this, I simply tell her that, while I can't help her, I'm sure there are others who can.

Are any of the above alternatives supposed to be good?

Sorry. It's not only not good enough, it's not good at all. It's bad. What I'm supposed to do is (a) help Judy find an alternative to abortion or (b) refer her to one of the many people and/or organizations who are very good at doing just that.

Duh!

One good thing, though.

Until this whole issue came up, I never realized that so-called Catholic hospitals in the Archdiocese of Boston did the old Pontius Pilate number with abortion/contraception seekers. Now I do.

Knowing this might be a good thing. But it ain't good.

Caritas ends venture, which is a start in the right direction

Might it be time for certain "Protectors of Marriage" to take a time out and THINK?

In my mailbox today came a (forwarded, naturally) message from some group Dedicated to the Protection of Marriage or some such slogan asking for my outrage (and my money, naturally) to fund a series of radio ads against a Terrible Danger.

Seems like some folks confused about their gender want the right to use any john they want.

Gasp! Horrors! The Bathroom Bill (I'm not making this up) must be stopped!!!!

Uh...why?

I'm not at all confused about my gender but I've gotta admit it...many a time, say at Fenway, I've snuck into the Men's Room to avail myself of the facilities because (no offense, dames) the lines in the Lady's Room were way too long for my taste...or my bladder.

So a few folks who want to legitimize the transgender lifestyle are taking their argument to the toilet. For heaven's sake, let them! And quit telling me that by letting them, I am contributing to the Ruin of Civilization As We Know It because I ain't buying it.

And as for the so-called "protection of marriage"...

Look. I'm married. I've been married before. Both my marriages are sacramental, and yes, I believe in their sanctity—as sacraments, they are by definition, holy.

And, no, I don't believe in "same-sex marriage." I also don't believe in a round square or a rectangular circle. I don't believe in "same-sex marriage" not because it "threatens" my marriage or even the institution of marriage.

I don't believe in it because it's nonsense.

But equally nonsensical is the notion that "same-sex marriage" or "same-sex bathrooms" are going to Destroy Civilization, Destroy the Family, and/or Destroy Marriage.

Newsflash: heterosexuals have done a damn good job of Destroying Marriage without any help from homosexual activism, thank you very much. All you have to do is look at the divorce stats for as long as I've been on this earth to figure that out.

So, can we please cut—you should excuse the expression—the crap?

If you're worried about your kid using a public john that might host somebody of the opposite sex, for heaven's sake go with him. Or her.

And if you're worried about the Sanctity of Marriage, may we at least quit trying remove the splinter from the eyes of confused homosexual activists...before giving a tug at the the log in our own?

Episcopal Priest: God Rejoices in Abortion

File this under "stuff you can't make up."

"Where should the priest begin the Mass?"

I didn't know this! (This, by the way, is not an unusual statement on my part.)

Bishops' statement on their brother bishop D'Arcy? Lukewarm at best

I suppose they supposed they had to say something. And here it is:

The bishops of the United States express our appreciation and support for our brother bishop, the Most Reverend John D'Arcy. We affirm his pastoral concern for Notre Dame University, his solicitude for its Catholic identity, and his loving care for all those the Lord has given him to sanctify, to teach and to shepherd.

That's it. Anybody who didn't know what it was about would think it was a nice thing to say about the Bishop and the university in his diocese, in a general sort of way.

"Squinting at the text" fix:

A reader writes:

Can you please ditch the gray in your quotes and make the type size bigger? Nice new look, aside from this feature, which is giving me a headache.

How about this?

Can you please ditch the gray in your quotes and make the type size bigger? Nice new look, aside from this feature, which is giving me a headache.

US Bishops approve Mass for Life

The U.S. adaptation of the text to the missal was supported by 179 bishops, with one voting against and one abstaining.

I'm sure there was an excellent reason to either abstain or vote against this. Just because I can't think of one doesn't mean anything.

The Mass in Thanksgiving for Life was originally proposed in 1990 by Cardinal John O'Connor of New York, who founded the Sisters of Life and died in 2000.

Shhhh: ZENIT's Father Edward McNamara answers my question

"Here in Boston I've often wondered why the Missal instruction to pray certain prayers 'inaudibly' is not only ignored, but the prayers themselves are changed, presumably to include the congregation. I refer specifically to two instances:

"The prayer during the washing of the hands is often audible and one hears: 'Lord, wash away our iniquities, cleanse us of our sins.' I'm assuming the celebrant is not using the 'royal we' here, and while I appreciate the sentiment, it's disconcerting, because precisely at this time I'm praying (silently) to the Lord to purify the priest!

"Prior to their reception of Communion, I often hear priests pray, loudly: "May the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ bring us ALL (that's not my emphasis ... that's the priests') to everlasting life." (To which the congregation invariably responds, understandably I suppose, with a hearty "Amen!") Again, I appreciate the sentiment, but it is while the priest communicates that I try to (silently) pray for his eternal glory. This sort of interrupts my prayer for him.

"I already know that these (and, alas, too many other) instances aren't in the missal. What I'm wondering is simply why do priests do this?"

FATHER MCNAMERA:

Why indeed? I can think of many reasons, but in the end they will be merely speculative. I can only put it down to inadequate liturgical formation and a consequent lack of understanding of the inner dynamics of the celebration. Such acts betray a deficient grasp of how these personal prayers address the priest's specific need for purification in virtue of his unique role within the celebration.

The fact that the priest says these prayers quietly can also be a teaching moment in which he, through his devout attitude, teaches the faithful how to prepare for Communion. Saying this prayer aloud turns it into another vocal prayer, thus depriving it of its proper liturgical function.

This goes to show that fidelity to the missal, and not our personal ideas regarding community involvement, is actually the most integrally pastoral attitude we can have.

Thank you, Father—may you and your brothers enjoy a blessed Year of the Priest!

Welcome home, sisters!

Anglican nuns to join Roman Catholic Church!