The Churches

Slipping one over

2007-02-18T11:35:00.000-06:00

We had a passage from First Kings this morning at the 8 a.m. mass. The guest preacher, here to give a two-night mission tomorrow and the next day, even quoted from it: “God is not in the turmoil but in the peace,” he said. Good punch line for his message about how to be impervious to the slings and arrows of 21st-century life by buying into Jesus as Lord and Savior. But the passage was a

Post-divorce communion

2007-01-02T08:45:00.000-06:00

A retired Vatican cardinal talks very liberally about divorce being sometimes the best option and at least sympathetically about communion being available to the divorced and remarried -- a major theme registered in my Priests at Work: Catholic Pastors Tell How They Apply Church Law in Difficult Cases.

Chicago's John Foley to the fore

2006-12-28T18:44:00.000-06:00

He's director of Cristo Re school in Pilsen and a nationwide movement. Newsweek Mag calls him someone to watch in '07.

Catholic money gone

2006-12-21T16:05:00.000-06:00

Was I saying something about badly managed dioceses the other day?A whopping 85 percent of U.S. dioceses have detected embezzlement over the past five years, according to Villanova University researchers. "No question about it, it’s a large number," said Charles Zech, director of the school’s Center for the Study of Church Management and coauthor of the 15-page paper, "Internal Financial Controls

What a guy

2006-12-21T15:48:00.000-06:00

Abortion Joe, the Euthanasia Man says, “We’re all tumors, or were at some point, to be excised if judged malignant.”

Mike & Val, SJ, RIP

2006-12-20T10:21:00.000-06:00

Jesuits die almost every day, Chi Province alone. Today’s listing has three. One was a nice fellow, personable, who headed St. Ignatius High in Chicago for a time. The other two had color to burn.Mike English died in 1973, seven years to the month after he offered me a job at Loyola Academy, Wilmette, where he was rector. I was loose, having done a turn at U. of Ill. at Chi intending to

Blame apportioned

2006-12-19T08:20:00.000-06:00

The lay woman who heads the West Side parish school where Rev. Daniel McCormack apparently molested students is up in arms about getting blamed. Barbara Westrick went on TV last night to complain about Chicago archdiocesan authorities who are making her, she said, a “scapegoat.” If she had known what Cardinal Francis George knew when the mother of an apparently abused child came to her, she

Blame apportioned

2006-12-19T08:14:00.000-06:00

The lay woman who heads the West Side parish school where Rev. Daniel McCormack apparently molested students is up in arms about getting blamed. Barbara Westrick went on TV last night to complain about Chicago archdiocesan priests who are making her, she said, a “scapegoat.” If she had known what Cardinal Francis George knew when the mother of an apparently abused child came to her, she would

Slight omission

2006-12-17T16:52:00.000-06:00

Fr. Jn L. can’t call God his father. So he changes wording of a standard prayer during mass, subbing “almighty God” for “almighty Father.” Or he won’t, maybe because he considers it unfair to women. In either case, he should (a) get over it, maybe seeing God as his father will help him lose or crowd out bad memories of his father if that’s the problem, or (b) accept the idea that as

How parishes thrive

2006-12-11T09:15:00.000-06:00

Rev. Jack Wall is leaving Old St. Pat’s after 24 years. He found four people when he arrived, now there are 3,000. It hosts the famed “ass mass,” attended by spouse-seeking young Catholics. It’s solvent and thriving, which is no small thing in our time. Wall is off to the Extension (bishops’ missionary) Society, where his exquisite marketing skills should find an outlet.Yes, marketing. Wall

Immaculate

2006-12-08T07:13:00.000-06:00

An irreverent Jesuit many years ago referred to the huge Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Wash DC, where sales were brisk of rosaries, medals, pamphlets, and the like as the “immaculate concession.”For the reverent or at least less irreverent, the immaculate part is about Mary being conceived without original sin, which means she had a head start on all of us. No even playing field, but

Trapped

2006-12-03T21:24:00.000-06:00

Ostensibly picking up on gospel notion of not being distracted by lesser concerns, preacher digs up tried and true chestnut, list of woes of rest of world compared to us, offering exercise in guilt-tripping for one of your most guilt-prone of audiences: sunday churchgoers, especially those eager beavers who show up at early mass. It's like telling a dirty joke at Vegas, easy way to get a laugh;

Justice, we trust

2006-11-11T17:01:00.000-06:00

It’s no small thing for Rome to can a priest, so this is noteworthy.

Catholics resist

2006-10-27T15:49:00.001-05:00

Catholics got their back up in the United Kingdom: Here in Britan intense pressure from the Catholic Church has led to a dramatic U-turn by the Education Secretary, Alan Johnson, on the issue of faith schools. Last week Mr Johnson announced that all new faith schools would be obliged to admit a quarter of pupils from outside their faith community but by last night he had abandoned the plan.

Brothers' month

2006-10-09T12:54:00.000-05:00

It's October, with St. Alphonsus Rodriguez SJ commemorated. He was a brother and remains Jesuit and other religious brothers' patron.Born in Spain in 1533, Alphonsus inherited the family textile business at 23. Within the space of three years, his wife, daughter and mother died; meanwhile, business was poor. Alphonsus stepped back and reassessed his life. He sold the business and, with his young

BC rejects Iran leader's visit request

2006-09-14T10:57:00.000-05:00

From the Boston College student newspaper, The Heights: The University declined a late request Friday made by controversial former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami to visit the McMullen Museum's new exhibit on Islamic art, Cosmophilia, on Monday - the five-year anniversary of Sept. 11. Administrators cited the

St. Louis U. recruiter for terror?

2006-09-13T10:49:00.000-05:00

Jesuit-run St. Louis U. has a prof who recruits support for Palestinian terror, says Front Page Mag: Wiles and Presson [SLU students under scrutiny by the Israeli security service] were both recruited in a Social Justice Studies class by St. Louis University professor Mark Chmiel. Chmiel encourages his students as part of his courses to conduct what he calls “

Jesuits covered for college president

2006-09-11T21:57:00.000-05:00

The Oregon Province has been in the news for sexual abuse, before the latest news of the Gonzaga U. president, John Leary, who was accused in 1966 but not determined guilty but in 1969 had to leave town (Spokane), which he did, remaining a Jesuit in good standing until his death in 1993.Leary and Michael Toulouse, a Jesuit who taught at Seattle University and died in 1976, are among 30 to 50 open

Hot school, speakers

2006-09-09T09:19:00.000-05:00

Very good report about St. Mary of Czestochowa School in Cicero, “one of those energetic Catholic schools that deserves to flourish,” with not quite 200 students. “Good staff, sparkling clean building, little Hispanic kids who say hello to their principal when he walks by, a music room with a baby grand, and [the principal] is trying to foster vocations.” Fr. John Corapi, regularly booked 2

British Jesuits celebrate record number of new priests

2006-09-06T19:54:00.000-05:00

A double ordination in South Africa on 8 September will bring the total number of men ordained for the British Province of the Society of Jesus in 2006 to six-the highest number in one year since 1988, reports Independent Catholic News.

Garanzini and Loyola-Chicago

2006-08-28T21:45:00.000-05:00

Chronicle Careers, from The Chronicle of Higher EducationUnder the leadership of Michael J. Garanzini, SJ, Loyola's President, the Universityhas been experiencing a virtual renaissance evidenced by record levels ...

Fw: Google Alert - Jesuits

2006-08-28T18:04:00.000-05:00

Google Alert for: Jesuits Jesuit James Tan ordained as priestSingapore Catholic News - Singapore... Father James had his first encounter with the Jesuits when he attended a talk by then Father Paul Tan. That encounter drew James ... ‘Derps,’ man for othersABS CBN News - Philippines... Many remember him as one of the Jesuits who were among the advisers of Corazon C. Aquino during the

Seminarian removed

2006-08-23T15:57:00.000-05:00

Non-Jesuit story here, in Columbus OH seminarian sent packing after drunk-driving fatalities. This is Mark Rowlands, who pleaded guilty to a weapons charge and attempted impersonation of a law-enforcement officer after a fatal crash last yearwhen his car hit a tree on the St. Mary of the Lake seminary grounds and two other seminarians were killed. He was giventwo years' probation, fined and

Schools, etc.

2006-08-22T13:07:00.000-05:00

* Chicago: BBC on Cristo Re schools in Chi: The Jesuits have set up a network of schools which take students from neighbourhoods beset by gangs, drugs and crime, and give them an intensive high school education costing $10,000 (£5,300) a year* Patna, India: Jesuit school in Bihar helps poor kids: For the first time, children in remote villages have the chance to get a good education and hopes of

Fr. McGuire sentenced

2006-07-18T21:47:00.000-05:00

Rev. Donald McGuire SJ has been sentenced to seven years in prison. This is being delayed during his appeal, because of his age, 76, and his health. His 20 years probation, the other part of his sentence, starts immediately. During this time, when not in prison, he is to stay at a nursing home. He is to register as a sex offender. "You can very well think I'm guilty because I chose to say