Catholic Tastes

New site!

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Sweas) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:13:00 +0000

Over the past few months, we have been developing a new site and it has finally launched. While this site still exists, it is no longer being updated. I have a few new blog posts there, so please visit us at uscatholic.org (no longer uscatholic.claretians.org).

Young Catholics go down under

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Sweas) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:15:00 +0000

World Youth Day is underway down under in Australia this week with more than 150,000 pilgrims--more than expected or registered, but not much compared to past events.

The pilgrims were welcomed by a text message from the pope, Zenit News Agency reported: "Young friends, God & his people expect much from u, because u have within u the Father's supreme gift: the Spirit of Jesus -- BXVI." Who knew B16 was down with txt talk?

An interesting take on this event: The coordinator also told Zenit that this would be Australia's most green large-scale gathering. Pilgrims will be walking or using public transport. Australians have been planting trees to offset the carbon produced by those traveling by plane to Australia, and Australian airlines Qantas provided a carbon-offset program for pilgrims. Packaging has been kept to a minimum and recycling is being maximized. Pilgrims were given flashlights with reusable batteries and are asked to keep showers to three minutes.

Unfortunately, the teens are apparently not hygienic enough to keep the flu from spreading, according to News.com.au.

The greenest option for "participating" in the event: You can catch almost all of the activities online at the WYD site without traveling anywhere. In some of the videos you can hear the officeal WYD 2008 song, Receive the Power, by Guy Sebastian, who besides being a Catholic singer/songwriter, won the first Australian Idol contest in 2003. Perhaps youth groups will move on from "Our God is an awesome God" to "Alleluia, Alleluia! Receive the Power, from the Holy Spirit."

Though I know a few who went, I don't remember paying much attention to the WYDs when I was a teen. Are teens logging on the the WYD site and following the events?

Countdown to WYD

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Sweas) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:50:00 +0000

World Youth Day starts next week, but this year there is no official beginning or end. WYD is every day, thanks to technology.

The Australian bishops hosting the event hope that pilgrims continue to connect with each other through new social networking sites.

The creators of Xt3.com, which stands for Christ in the third millennium, say the website will make this WYD the most interactive ever, Zenit News Agency reports. “It is an online platform to enable pilgrims to connect with millions, share the experience, and build a better world,” says Robert Toone, who came up with idea for the site with his brother John. It even got the archbishop of Sydney, who admitted to not being to web savvy, to go online.

Australian-based Church Resources also started Faithtrip.net for young people around the world. Many members online now plan to attend WYD next week. Local dioceses can organize groups on Faithtrip as well.

The Zenit story tells Facebook to watch out. While I suspect Catholic teens won't be abandoning Facebook in droves for Xt3 or Faithtrip, they might join it in addition to more popular social networking sites. What's your social networking site of choice? Is it Catholic?

Inspired to go to the farmer's market

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Sweas) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:29:00 +0000

I have been meaning to pick up Barbara Kingsolver's most recent book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, and this Speaking of Faith radio interview with her makes me want to read it now.

She seems to have a hopeful, light-hearted approach to her family's quest to grow her own food and eat locally. I like her line about wanting her birds to have "poultry happiness," but at the same time she says, "turkeys don't want to live to 100 years old."

I'm not sure I could personally "harvest a turkey," but hearing her makes me want to pick up my two patio tomato plants, leave the big city, and start a garden. Anybody have experience with growing there own food?

At the very least, maybe I'll head over to the farmer's market today.

An insurance company that does good?

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Sweas) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:07:00 +0000

Want to go to Lourdes but can't afford it? Then it's time to move to the Netherlands and get medical insurance from the Dutch company, VGZ.

Nightline reported last night that VGZ sends a plane full of clients to the healing holy site every year. It's an all-expense paid trip, with VGZ employees volunteering as helpers.

This may seem hard to believe for Americans, who are more used to insurance companies squeezing every cent of the copay out of us than giving us all-expense paid trips to France, but the company apparently finds in valuable beyond just the bottom line.

"It's not a mathematical thing. It's not a thing where you can scientifically prove where effectively it reduces costs of health care. It has a salutary effect on people, a sort of healing effect," said Erik Lelieveld, the company's spokesman and a volunteer wheelchair-pusher on this trip.

They aren't counting on miracles, but the trip can still be healing for clients. One woman said she might need less treatment for her arthritis after the visit. Still, another man suggested clients may live longer and cost the insurance company more money! At any rate, the Nightline story points out that it is good publicity.

Now if they'd only expand to the United States!

Stop being prudish about Mary

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Sweas) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 03:26:00 +0000

We shouldn't be ashamed of the Virgin Mary showing us her breasts, two art critics said in the most recent copy of the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano. They say we should see more painting with Mary breast-feeding baby Jesus, according to an article in the U.K Mail.

"The Virgin Mary who nurses her son Jesus is one of the most eloquent signs that the word of God truly and undoubtedly became flesh," wrote Father Enrico dal Covolo, a professor of classic and Christian literature.

For nearly 1,500 years, the Blessed Mother was depicted in this motherly fashion. Then Protestant prudes (I mean reformers) came along and were offended by "the carnality and unbecoming nature of many sacred images," Italian church historian Lucetta Scaraffia wrote in another article.

Even the nudes in the Sistine Chapel were covered up, the Mail article reports, adding that you're more likely to find a painting of a semi-nude Mary in a museum than a church.

In more Mary news, the BBC reported on the premiere of a musical, "Mary: A Story that Continues," held in the Vatican. Pope Benedict did not attend, but many cardinals, including the Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone, attended with thousands of Roman citizens.

The story starts with her childhood, and takes "a good deal of poetic license is taken over the gospel story," the BBC reported, but a top Vatican theologian signed off on the script. I'm sure Mary, played by former Miss Italy contestant Alma Manera, did NOT bare all for this piece of live performance art!

It's Tuesday morning; do you know where God is?

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Sweas) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:02:00 +0000

If not, here's a clue.

This website, Other6.com, put out by Loyola Communications, is a prayer tool that helps people find God throughout the week, not just one Sunday. It poses the core questions of St. Ignatius’ examination of consciousness: Where have you found God today? Where do you need to find God today?

Users’ brief answers appear in “bubbles” on the site—clear when God is missing and blue when God is present. Dragging the cursor over a bubble allows visitors to read and be inspired by the short prayers.

Those who post bubbles can track their comments over time and set an alarm clock—which sends bubbles floating across your monitor at a designated time—to remind the user to go to the site every day.

Browsing around this site, at least, is time spent a lot better than browsing around a lot of sites.

Serious sin

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Sweas) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:31:00 +0000

This is just too bizarre to pass up: A couple (no word if married or not) were arrested for having sex in a confessional in Italian Cathedral. They were caught in the act during morning Mass after a late night of drinking, Reuters reported.

They have returned to Confession, but thankfully this time it was to repent and ask the forgiveness of the local bishop. According to the couple's lawyer, they were granted forgiveness.

The bishop also celebrated a "Mass of reparation" in the cathedral.

Apparently nothing is sacred anymore. Or is it that we humans are truly fallen? Thank God for forgiveness!

Israel's non-Kosher national bird

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Sweas) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:12:00 +0000

In honor of the 60th anniversary of Israel, President Shimon Peres declared the Hoopoe Israel's national bird, Reuters reported. The irony: The Book of Leviticus declares that it is not Kosher.

Along with eagles, vultures, and pelican, the Hoopoe is "abhorrent, not to be eaten." But then again, who would eat a national bird?

The Hoopoe was chosen by a poll with about 155,000 votes cast.

Backstreet boy is rocking his religion

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Sweas) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:30:00 +0000

It's an interesting combination: A jewelry maker called Rock your religion, Backstreet Boy Howie D., and fund raising for Lupus.

First, the jewelry maker (featured back in July 2007 Catholic Tastes) makes Chi Rho pendants. Barbara Serbes aimed to make a family symbol (her mom gave one to her dad when they first dated and later to her and her brother) hip by giving it a rock'n'roll image. Rock, her company says, means "to wear with conviction."

Howie D. (Dorough) and his family, meanwhile, started an advocacy group, Dorough Lupus Foundation, in memory of his sister Caroline Dorough-Cochran, who died from Lupus.

To raise funds for the foundation, he put his signature on the back of a Rock Your Religion Chi Rho pendant. The Chi Rho represents a Greek phrase meaning "In this sign, you will conquer," and the website says, Howie D. believes in the phrase (unfortunate connection to military conquest aside).

Can a Backstreet Boy bring back this symbol?

You look divine

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Sweas) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:40:00 +0000

Children can try holiness on for size with costumes from Catholichomeandgarden.com. Rather than pretend to be cowboys or firemen, little boys can dress up in the robes of St. Francis of Assisi, the cassock of St. John Neumann (pictured), or even in cardinal and pope costumes.

Girls can play, too. There’s the Indian sari habit of Mother Teresa, the full Carmelite habit of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, or the armor of St. Joan of Arc.

A number of other saint costumes, with tips for accessories, are also available. Their tips include "gore factor" for boys, like fake blood stigmatas for appropriate saints.

The costumes, made by mothers who homeschool their children, “encourage vocations and holiness in Catholic children.”

There's also links to adult costumes.

More alternative Christian sites

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Sweas) — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:34:00 +0000

As a quick follow up here are a couple of other alternative Christian websites. It's a big church and there is room for all--even though many may find it quite strange:

The Glorious Undead: A Christian church in London that brings together people involved in the local alternative music scene.

Christiangoth.com: With appropriately creepy music, this site offers a welcoming place for those who dress in black and otherwise follow a "goth" lifestyle. The Gothic Bride of Christ is picture on the right. Even if this isn't the place for you, the site does make a good point about how welcoming our mainstream churches are to different styles.

Put some punk in the church

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Sweas) — Thu, 29 May 2008 14:42:00 +0000

Christianity can't get into a funk as long as we've got some punk. Here are a couple of interesting websites I somehow--I don't know how because I'm not a big punk person--came across:

The Punk Priest: Complete with music, this is the site of a Pennsylvania priest, Father Robert Lubic. He went from a college senior wanting to open a club called Original Sin, according to his vocation story, to a priest who sings lines from Ac/DC, Green Day, and Jimmy Eats World in his homilies. Q&A and homilies are available, along with just a lot of personal stuff--comments about film and social life. He hopes to inspire more vocations--perhaps more unique people like him. How would you like him or somebody like him to be serving in your parish?

The Punk Monk: The Punk Monk isn't actually a monk, and he's not Catholic either, but this is an interesting site on how to make Christianity relevant and revolutionary. Andy Freeman is "the punk monk," and along with Pete Greig, wrote a book by that name. Based out of England, they are part of the 24-7 prayer movement. According to Amazon, the book tells the history of the Desert Father as radicals: "The book highlights the counter-cultural and revolutionary force of monasticism and asks whether it is time for a new monastic movement. It also takes punk as a contemporary expression of monastic spirit and asks whether a silent revolution is coming."

Adding a punk attitude seems to be one step beyond the new monasticism movement, which I believe is composed of mostly young non-denominational Christians (that's the sense I got from The New Friars. Regardless, these fans of the Franciscans are an interesting bunch. I'm curious of how widespread this is, but it does seem to be full of young people. Do the Franciscans need some punk?

Highway to heaven: bikers get blessed

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Sweas) — Tue, 27 May 2008 15:12:00 +0000

Before they hit the open road, a couple thousand bikers feel called to Paterson, New Jersey to have their motorcycles blessed. There Father Mark Giordani holds an annual Mass the first Sunday of May to bless bikes and bikers.

"We're ostracized just for our hobby, our mode of transportation, and it's nice to be in a group of people that kind of look like me. We all have the same mindset," one biker told Religion & Ethics Newsweekly (check out the video for a good view of this unique gathering).

While not all of the participants are Catholic, biking can be an evangelical tool. Father Giordani's bike, with scenes of the Nativity, Crucifixion, Resurrection, and flames for the Holy Spirit, lead to a Confession while he was on the road once.

Riding is a religious experience for the priest. "It's just exhilarating--the sense of freedom, the sense of enjoying the beauty of God's creation, and it's just a powerful and magnificent gift for me," Giordani says.

Prayer granted

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Sweas) — Thu, 22 May 2008 13:22:00 +0000

A happy story from New Zealand (from Reuters): Two men were flying a microlight plane when the engine cut out and they were left without fuel. A crash would surely mean death for both of them.

As Grant Stubbs later told the Marlborough Express, he asked his friend Owen Wilson what they should do. Wilson's reponse, "You just pray, Grant."

So they did.

And then they landed in a small grassy area besides a 20-foot high sign: "Jesus is Lord --The Bible."

Coincidence or miracle?

E.T. is the image of God?

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Sweas) — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:48:00 +0000

We always new he was a cute, friendly creature, but E.T. also would be our brother in Christ, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory told the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano last week.

In an interview, "The extraterrestrial is my brother," Father Jose Gabriel Funes said that it's OK to believe in both alien life and God, The Chicago Tribune reports. Extraterrestrial creatures would still be God's creatures. And ruling out their existence would "set limits on the creative liberty of God."

"How can we rule out that life may have developed elsewhere?" Funes said. "Just as we consider earthly creatures as 'a brother,' and 'sister,' why should we not talk about an 'extraterrestrial brother'? It would still be part of creation."

In most of the interview, Funes argued that science and religion are compatible, but most reaction to the interview has obviously been about his comments on aliens.

According to a follow-up article in The Chicago Tribune, the church has discussed the possibility of extraterrestrial life since the Middle Ages. What's more interesting are the theological questions that come from such a thought: "whether God could have created more than one world and whether other beings could be granted redemption via a Christ-like savior."

More fundamentalist churches would have greater difficulty with the idea that intelligent life from another planet was created in God's image. "Any kind of literalist in Christianity would be barring these sorts of beliefs," said Thomas O'Brien, a professor of religious studies at DePaul University. "If you were to go to some fundamentalist Christian churches, you'd hear some pastors say belief in UFOs is tantamount to a non-belief in Jesus Christ."

One commenter on The Seeker blog said that if aliens abduct and probe you, they must come from the devil, but certainly humans abduct and do a lot worse than just probe each other, and we still say that all humans are God's creatures.

Do aliens exist or not? But more importantly what does that mean about God?

I personally like the quote from Father Thomas O'Meara, a visiting theology professor at Boston College, in the second Tribune article: "If you have a mature view of God, God can do what God wants."

Eat local! It's the law!

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Sweas) — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:21:00 +0000

Here in Chicago, the controversial Foie Gras ban was overturned this week, but across the Atlantic, a chef is asking for something more extreme: a ban on out-of-season fruits and vegetables.

"I don't want to see asparagus in the middle of December. I don't want to see strawberries from Kenya in the middle of March. I want to see it home-grown," London celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey said, according to Reuters.

That certainly would do something for the eat local movement (see my article Greener Pastures in the May issue of U.S. Catholic). But outlawing imported fruits and veggies is a bit crazy. Sure, there's nothing like a salad of fresh, local veggies from the farmers' market (and I'm so excited that they just started this week in Chicago!), but it's a long winter without them. I don't know what kind of vegetables London has in the winter, but Chicago doesn't have any.

The foie gras ban at least brought a lot of attention to unethical treatment of animals, so maybe Gordan Ramsey's proposal will bring more attention to eating local.

Eating, as so many are saying today, is a moral issue, but it is not a legal one.

Holy war

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Sweas) — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:02:00 +0000

Breaking news from the Satire newspaper The Onion: The pope's trip to the U.S. was actually a reconnaissance mission to gather infrastructure and security information about the U.S. for a Vatican-planned terrorist plot!

Here's a funny selection from the article:
"The CIA briefing details how a number of officials—including President George W. Bush—unwittingly gave up classified documents and information to the visiting pope, simply because he asked politely. ... 'We normally do not allow anyone to view top secret documents, but with the miter and the robe and everything, it was difficult to say no,' said one Department of Energy official."

Also check out the papal slide show of past Onion articles. Today the pope is a terrorist, but in the past, he has also been Batman.

Little did you know, but he also visited the St. Louis Six Flags before his first real visit to the U.S. "If you are a child over 54 inches tall, your covenant with fun compels you to check out Batman the Ride," the pope said.

Well, The Onion got one thing right: We Catholics do have a (at least unofficial) covenant of fun!

Fun Godly Gadgets

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Sweas) — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:36:00 +0000

I remember in high school math that on certain tests we weren't allowed to use graphing calculators because they could pretty much do any problem for you. Well, now there's electronic cheating devices for religion class, too! Some will even tell you the right Bible verse in Spanish.

Classes, Bible study, and even prayer has been made easier with hand-held devises that contain the Bible and extra resources from Franklin Electronic Publishers.

The portable Bibles come in the King James Version, the New International Version, and a Spanish translation, Santa Biblia Reina-Valera Versión 1960. Each allows users to search for and organize favorite verses. The Spanish Bible can also be added to a speaking bilingual Spanish-English dictionary.

For more in-depth research, Franklin also has a hand-held devise that holds the Holman Bible Dictionary, which includes all the major translations, definitions of words and people, and a pronunciation guide.

Writing a paper on scripture? Store it on a USB stick designed like a cross. The 2 GB memory stick can double as a religious necklace.

Finally, who needs an iPod when you can have an iRosary? Thanks to Geekalerts.com for finding and posting these cross MP3 player products and concepts, as well as the cross memory stick.

Big-tent Catholicism on the radio

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Sweas) — Fri, 02 May 2008 22:35:00 +0000

The Catholic Church is often compared to a big tent that houses a lot of very different types of people and personalities.

Speaking of Faith, a public radio show, has seemed to capture just that idea this week. They solicited Catholics to tell them what they think is the good and the bad about the church. They have produced a radio show with some highlights, but you can also skim through hundreds of reflections on their website.

Originally, host Krista Tippett said, they planned just to interview the experts on the show, but they switched gears so that their show reflects Catholics' definition of church as the People of God. The reflections from ordinary Catholics (although the interviews with the experts are undoubtedly interesting and can be listened to online) is what makes this piece compelling.

Rice: more important than ever

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Sweas) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:39:00 +0000

With stories of rice shortages in the Third World in the newspapers almost every day now, there is something small anyone can do to help. And it will increase your vocabulary as well.

At FreeRice.com, answer vocabulary questions correctly--just like on a standardized test, you are asked to pick the right definition of a word--and you will donate 20 grains of rice.

Doesn't sound like much? The site advertises that 233,798,420 grains were donated yesterday and 29 billion grains have been donated to date. Advertisers pay for the rice to be bought every time somebody defines a word, and the rice is distributed by the United Nations World Food Program.

The game is good for the world and for you, and it's addicting too!

Cardinal Catzinger

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Sweas) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:00:00 +0000

Pope Benedict has a great deal of affection for his feline friends, according to theNew York Times.

The new children's book, Joseph and Chico: The Life of Pope Benedict XVI as told to by a Cat (Ignatius Press, 2008), is based on an actual cat. Chico lives across the street from the former cardinal's home in Pentling, Germany. His owner, Rupert Hofbauer, said Chico misses his holy friend. "Sometimes Chico goes over there on his own, and he sits on the door sill or walks through the garden," he told the New York Times.

Once he moved to the Vatican, Cardinal Ratzinger took care of strays and often had cats following him to his office.

But sacrifices must be made for the papacy and so this story has a sad ending. Previous popes had cats--Pope Paul VI is said to have once dressed his cat in cardinal’s robes (poor thing)--but Pope Benedict's two beloved cats were not allowed to move in with him in the Papal Quarters. He's got some tough landlords!

Time for the pope to hit the half-pipe with new board

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Sweas) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:47:00 +0000

The pope went back to Rome yesterday, but he didn't leave empty handed. He received a unique gift from New York City youth: a skateboard.

Father Peter Pomposello runs a skateboard club at St. Elizabeth Parish in Washington Heights in Manhatten and when they were talking about the pope's visit, one of the kids suggested giving him a gift of a skateboard, and the group ran with it, Catholic News Services reported. They held a contest for the design and received 70 entries. They were scheduled to give Pope Benedict the skateboard during a youth rally.

See the eventual winner, Krystal Melendez, talk about her design in this AP video.

You can buy the Official Papal Skateboard and other finalist at boardpusher.com. All the proceeds will go to inner city youth programs in New York. Papal boards can also be donated to New York City youth.

Pilgrim with a tow

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Sweas) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:01:00 +0000

Police stopped a man jogging down a highway in Germany with a three-wheel trailer attached to his back and learned that he was a pilgrim. The 35-year-old devout Roman Catholic from Poland had gone as far as Portugal and was on his way home with everything he needed in his trailer, Reuters reports. The trailer itself was made from a converted roof luggage box and was declared roadworthy by the police.

An impressive journey, especially if he was jogging throughout the pilgrimage! I'd be surprised if that was his first run-in with curious police officers.

On another pilgrimage note, I recently talked to David Heimann, who visited 365 churches (actually more) in 365 days during 2007. You will be able to learn about his ideas on solidarity in July's young adult issue of U.S. Catholic, but you can also read his insights on his blog.

One thing he told me is that American Catholics don't really get pilgrimages. While a million young people will hike 30 miles to a shrine in Argentina, our versions of pilgrimages are (good, but secular) AIDS walks. It's an interesting thought: Would you go off around the world to meet other Catholics or even jog across Europe on a spiritual quest?

A lot of people (me included) have thought, "I want to travel around the world for a year" (and David says he has heard this a lot!), but most of us don't. There's something holding us back. For me, that makes it all the more impressive when we do encounter a pilgrim. I would love to know more about this "jogging pilgrim" than the news article shares.

Inspiring video

noreply@blogger.com (Megan Sweas) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 20:27:00 +0000

This isn't funny, but it is a good video. This is a video profile of U.S. Catholic's January In Person, Julia Dinsmore. She's a song writer, poet, and musicians who has experience poverty herself and is an activist to end poverty.

After reading and enjoying her book, My Name is Child of God...Not "Those People", we decided she was worthy of a profile. It's neat to be able to see her live, singing and reading her poetry on this video from Minnesota Public Television: