The recent release of the movie WARRIOR has prompted many different “takes” on the story. I would like to focus on the impact of addiction as portrayed in the film. The Conlon family, having been torn apart by the father’s violent alcoholic behavior, is in a situation that many people, unfortunately, can identify with. Alcoholism […]
“But that’s not fair!” Most parents have heard this phrase umpteen times. The notion of fairness, also known as justice, is wired into us. It makes us aware that each of us has certain rights that need to be respected. But it also means that we each have duties. If others have the right to […]
A Palm Beach jury just awarded a couple, Rudolpho Santana and Ana Mejia, $4.5 million in damages in a wrongful birth suit. Their son, Bryan, was born in October 2008 without arms and with only one leg. Their suit was against the mothers obstetrician and sonographer, saying if they had done their jobs, detecting the anomaly […]
Even with its highly optimistic fertility projections, the new UN population forecast predicts a grayer world than the one imagined by its 2009 report which used much lower fertility estimates. Perhaps most significant is the steep rise in society’s proportion of the old (65 years or older) and very old (80 years and older). By […]
The First Epistle of Peter is the second of the seven “catholic” or universal epistles written and circulated to the faithful throughout the world during the first century following the birth of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Simon Peter wrote this short letter, in just 105 verses. Or the letter might have been dictated to Silvanus, […]
I’ve only recently come to realize the nature of the hurdle this country faces in trying to turn around a stalled economy and horrendous deficit. Here it is: liberal Democrat politicians have fully convinced huge numbers of people that our economic/fiscal mess is the result of two principal demons: 1) “the rich” and 2) the […]
Somewhere in the Analects of Confucius, the Master says that the first step in solving a problem is to call things by their right name. When things are mislabeled, it is very difficult to think about them correctly. On the other hand, if you do not wish people to think correctly about an issue, the […]
Dear Reader, I have so many friends whose kids are either beginning or ending the orthodontia journey, I found myself revisiting the history of my own daughter’s mouth-capades. After 6 years of having some form of wire contraption glued in my daughter’s mouth (and us living off of mac & cheese, the clouds parted and […]
So plopping your preschooler in front of the television to gawk at “SpongeBob SquarePants” — a frenetic cartoon featuring scene changes every 11 seconds — impairs his attention span. Who could have guessed? This astonishing revelation comes courtesy of the Pediatrics journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The journal recently published a study showing […]
As Congress struggles to balance our out-of-control federal budget, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has officially put its oar into the debate. In an open letter to congress, the USCCB (along with Catholic Relief Services), told federal budget-crunchers exactly what programs they thought should be sliced from the budget. And, (surprise surprise) […]
There is One Being, Who knows Himself and sees Himself. He dwells in Himself, And from Himself sets forth. Glory to His name. This is a Being Who by His own will is in every place, Who is invisible and visible, Manifest and secret. He is above and below. This hymn was composed by Saint […]
Catholic scholars are up in arms about the latest interim rule issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, which is alleged to provide First Amendment protections to religious entities involved in health care, health insurance, and other programs impacted by the mandated distribution of contraception. In a letter signed by more than 20 […]
Really, how important are the words we use? Here’s what Jesus tells us in Matthew 12:36 & 37: But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will […]
Last week while thousands of children were outfitted in their “Sunday best” attire to attend memorial services for their parents, victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, some children in suburban Boston were learning a different lesson about America. A group in the bedroom community of Brookline was busy advancing its agenda to eradicate […]
Many years ago, I had an encounter with a coworker that would forever ignite a stronger desire to articulate Church doctrine in a clear practical manner. The story goes this way. I had recently finished developing a pilot Adult Education program for the Diocese I worked in at the time. The Bishop of the Diocese […]
So long as the West focuses on names and faces in the so-called “war on terror”—as opposed to focusing on ideas and motivations — so long will it possibly win battles, even as it slowly loses the war. [At] the ten-year anniversary of 9/11, we win another battle with the recent slaying of al-Qaeda’s number […]
Chapter 5 Mary is Ever-Virgin The perpetual virginity of Our Blessed Mother is frequently disputed by those interested in discrediting the Catholic Church. In this we find an unintended argument to prove the necessity of Mary’s perpetual virginity. It is logical to expect that someone interested in discrediting a kingdom would first try to cast […]
Developing a new website or improving an old one can be a daunting task. There are so many things to keep in mind: the marketing message, the design, the words, the links, the navigation, the keywords, and more. It ain’t easy. Below are some “don’ts” that I recommend keeping in mind as you build or […]
I was ten years old on November 22, 1963, the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas. Forty-eight years later, every detail of what I was doing as the news unfolded on that infamous day remains vividly engraved in my mind’s eye. Every generation seems to have these […]
It has been over a year since I have written about the fragile condition of the European Union’s financial system. The financial crisis of a possible Greek default has been papered over since then, but now it is coming to a head again. Greece again is teetering on the brink of default. Last Friday, Greek […]
With my own voice I will call out to the LORD, and he will answer me from his holy mountai. (Psalm 3:5). Now the people complained bitterly in the hearing of the LORD; and when Moses heard it his wrath flared up, so that the LORD’s fire burned among them and consumed the outskirts of […]
A confusing article — to say the least — has been published by Catholic News Service: a puff piece on Labor Secretary Hilda Solis. From an August 30 interview: The office of Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis includes images of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a glass crucifix and a sculpture of Mary and Jesus. Her […]
It’s the first day of school here at the Fenelon Clan Abode, and I made our high school sophomore a super-duper, extra-special, sunshine theme breakfast: Eggs in a basket with little mini-sun cutouts, sunshine drink (milk with vanilla, sweetener, and yellow food coloring), and yogurt parfait with bursting sun rays (peach slices arranged along the […]
Cardinal Raymond Burke, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura in the Vatican, celebrated a Pontifical High Mass in the Extraordinary Form at the Marian Sanctuary in Knock County Mayo on Saturday the 10th of September. His Eminence was formally welcomed by the Parish Priest of Knock who hosted a private dinner for the Cardinal with a […]
