I grew up in Denver and am admittedly biased. I’m a Denver Broncos fanatic. In the Mile High City, the Broncos are more than just a football team; they’re an institution. Everybody loves a comeback. Former Broncos quarterback John Elway — one of the greatest QBs in NFL history — had comebacks in his DNA. […]
Mission: Impossible–Ghost Protocol is a perfect action-thriller flick. It’s slaying at the box office, too, which shows that audiences are paying attention. Tom Cruise is back, he’s still got it (in spades), and really pulls and keeps the whole project together. He doesn’t swagger, but he leads his MI team with “hunches,” bravery and physical […]
If you follow professional sports, and especially if you are a football or hockey fan, you undoubtedly are aware of the rash of concussions that have rendered players unfit to play. Now there’s a rash of lawsuits being filed against the National Football League, the latest of which includes a group of 106 retired football […]
The great G.K. Chesterton once quipped: “When you break the big laws, you do not get liberty; you do not even get anarchy. You get the small laws.” Dr. Arthur Hippler’s Citizens of the Heavenly City : A Catechism of Catholic Social Teaching is a book about the big laws. One of the beauties of Catholic Social Teaching (CST) is […]
Just to clarify; I was the one in the sweats and athletic shoes. Likely the Cardinal–more precisely Cardinal-designate–was in his clerical shirt, pectoral cross and other black garb, fitting for a man of his office. And, I suppose I didn’t really “meet” him, since we already knew each other; I had met Archbishop Timothy M. […]
There is much merit in Gabe Lyons’ book, The Next Christians: The Good News About the End of Christian America. In fact, in the second chapter of this book, Mr. Lyons offers his readers a lucid and accessible account of the cultural state wherein Christians find themselves today (23). Although he attributes the beginning of […]
“Physician, heal thyself.” (Luke 4:23) As a fitness expert, I practice what I preach, exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet. Yet, like most people, I occasionally find that life gets too busy and the workouts and healthy habits temporarily fall by the wayside. My clothes start to feel a bit snug and the number […]
When I heard that Meryl Streep would portray Margaret Thatcher in an upcoming film, I was immediately interested, assuming that The Iron Lady would examine the legacy of the Conservative heroine. I was wrong. In 1976, Margaret Thatcher, then the leader of the British Conservative Party, was dubbed by the Soviets “The Iron Lady” for […]
I chose to review The Catholic Briefcase for three reasons. It is written by a convert, like I am. It is written by a man who successfully integrates his faith in every aspect of his life, like my husband does. When I once carried a briefcase as a career professional, but not yet a Catholic, it […]
Did you wish all your Facebook friends a Merry Christmas? Sure you did. And probably clicked over to Linkedin, Google+, and Twitter too. Or maybe I am leaving out your favorite social media hangout. Social media is an important part of the online day for many of us Catholics and for many of us it […]
I did most of my growing up in Springville, New York, a small town boasting about 4,200 citizens in the southtowns of Western New York. The nearest big city is Buffalo, which boasts several verypopular sports teams. Buffalo is a sports town, despite a complete lack of national championships in any of them (though the […]
Tim Tebow haters finally scored on Sunday, when the 23-year-old novice quarterback for the Denver Broncos succumbed to defeat at the hands of 34-year-old Super Bowl veteran and New England Patriots powerhouse Tom Brady. Prior to that 41-23 loss, Tebow had been on an improbable six-game winning streak, pulling off one miraculous fourth-quarter finish after […]
The story of the launch of Catholic World Report in 1991, and its relationship with 30 Days and with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI As we announced in our October issue, this December 2011 issue will be CWR’s last as a print magazine. Starting in January 2012, CWR will be published exclusively online, […]
War Horse is an epic film about the love between a young English boy named Albert and his horse Joey against the backdrop of World War I. The film stars Hollywood newcomer Jeremy Irvine, who was discovered by director Steven Spielberg. “I wanted a fresh face. We were right in the middle of the search […]
Independent films with their fresh ideas, story lines, production methods, and authentic performances have always captured my attention. The ability of the writers, directors, and actors to imbue much of their own personal vision, unrestricted to the agreement of big producers and distributors, into every aspect of the work is thrilling. Talent is put forth […]
Henry Russell, Ph.D. is a classics educator, headmaster of St. Augustine’s Homeschool Enrichment Program (founded with his wife Crystal), and president of the SS Peter and Paul Educational Foundation. He is known particularly for The Catholic Shakespeare Audio Series. His writings have been published in various journals. ========= Stan Williams: What do you make of […]
Tim Tebow has sure made the sports headlines as of late. The popular quarterback of the Denver Broncos, known for being unapologetic about his Christian faith (something I applaud, of course), has perplexed not a few sports commentators by his seemingly miraculous comeback-victories after struggling through three-and-a-half quarters of a game. I asked, via email, […]
The Culture of Death reminds me of the dragon from the Book of Revelations; it is an “enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns” (NIV Rev 12:3). Two items in this week’s news reveal just how the Culture of Death masquerades as something supposedly good as it rears two of its ugly heads—the […]
I have not been shy in my criticism of Muslim extremists who hate Israel and equally loathe the United States. Nor have I been reluctant to condemn Islamism: Sharia law is totalitarian. Furthermore, I am not opposed to boycotting sponsors of TV shows that bash Catholicism (I have led such initiatives). But count me out […]
To celebrate the DVD release of *Dolphin Tale, Grace Hill Media, a company that promotes quality entertainment for faith-based audiences, has graciously provided five DVDs to be given away to Catholic Lane readers. Details are provided at the end of this article. As a freelance writer who reviews family movies, I often have the opportunity […]
Shortly after 9/11 an acquaintance of mine pointed out that while their cause was obviously wrong, there was something to be admired about the single minded determination with which the attackers carried out their mission. Being a devout Catholic, he even doubted that God would be harsh when judging such sincerely committed souls. The idea […]
Economics” is the name which people have come to give to the study of wealth. It is the study by which we learn how wealth is produced, how it is consumed, how it is distributed among people, and so on. It is a very important kind of study, because it often depends upon our being […]
Hugo is Martin Scorsese’s engaging adaptation of the children’s book by the same name. What’s it about? It’s an elaborate introduction to a slice of film history. The all-British cast plays out the story set in a 1930’s train station in Paris. At first, the story seems to be a tale of a misfortunate orphan-urchin […]
If you do an Internet search for “Catholic Fatherhood” how much data would you find in comparison to Panda Bears, Applied Linear Algebra, and Welding Theory? According to John Clark, author of Who’s Got You, Catholic Fatherhood comes in last. The results respectively were 1,914, 1,706, and 284. Catholic Fatherhood netted 270 results. Clark surmised […]
