TITLE: Where Freedom Is the Greatest Christmas Gift DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

AKKARAYAN, Sri Lanka — Antonyraj Lourdamma used to idle away time in her hut relying on her husband's meager income as a manual laborer to feed her four children.

But, the Catholic mother's life underwent a transformation two years ago when she joined the “Rose” self help group of women initiated by Caritas in her village of Akkarayan. Caritas is an international Catholic aid organization.

Lourdamma, 32, took a loan of 3,000 Sri Lankan rupees ($30) from the group and started a poultry venture next to her coconut palm leaf roofed hut.

“Earlier, I could never afford to give eggs to my children, and cooking chicken was a luxury. But, everything has changed now,” Lourdamma said while feeding her hens last month. With the steady income from selling chickens, she has been able to ease her husband's burden and has already repaid the Caritas loan. She's even managed to buy a bicycle — the common transport in her region, which lacks proper roads.

The Lourdamma family lives in the Wanni region in the north of Sri Lanka. “Wanni” refers to the areas under the control of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam. These “Tamil rebels” control a 93-mile stretch from Vavunniya, 168 miles from the capital, Colombo, to the Jaffna peninsula in the north.

Farming is the only economic activity worth mentioning in the rebel-held areas. There are few buildings left intact after more than two decades of intermittent fighting and bombings by the Sri Lankan army.

As a result, most of the half million Tamil people in Wanni live in primitive conditions in thatched huts like the Lourdammas', without water, electricity or telephone.

“We have found these [women's groups] to be a sure way to make the people stand on their feet and instill hope in abject conditions,” said Father Gnanaprakasam Peter, social service director of Kilinochchi — the only major township in the Wanni region.

The Church has already set up more than 50 women's groups of 20 members each. Many members are Hindus and widows of rebel warriors who have perished in the campaign for an autonomous homeland.

More than 65,000 lives have been lost and nearly 2 million people have been displaced since 1983, after the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam took to armed conflict, demanding autonomy for the Tamil majority areas in the north and the east against the domination of the Sinhala-speaking Buddhist majority.

Ethnic Tamils account for 17% of Sri Lanka's 19 million people while Sinhala speaking Buddhists account for 70%.

Using the Land

Life has been a constant struggle for Shivanesan Kauri since her husband died in an army operation. The Hindu mother of four struggled to feed her children and send them to school with her meager income from making artificial cotton flowers.

“Now, I don't have to plead before others for [lending] money. Life has become very comfortable and secure after I joined the group,” said Kauri, who lives in Udayanagar village, near Kilinochchi.

With an initial loan of 3,000 rupees from the Church group, Kauri bought cotton in large quantity to make flowers. She repaid it in weeks — going for higher loans. With the steady income from her exquisite handicraft work, Kauri saves now at least 3,000 rupees a month after meeting all the needs of her four children.

Following the training the Church group has given to its members in farming activities, Kauri has already bought a motor (for pumping water) and now plans to launch vegetable farming in the barren plot of land next to her hut.

In fact, the credit for reviving the agrarian economy in the war ravaged Wanni region goes to the Church. The self-help groups promoted and constantly monitored by field staff of Caritas have initiated several simple but innovative methods to prompt the Wanni people to make productive use of the fertile land around them.

The catalyst for this economic revival process came with the nutritional food program that Caritas initiated in 1998 to improve the health of the malnourished children and to reduce the high student drop-out rate.

“Our studies found that most of the children came to school on empty stomachs and had no assurance of a meal when they returned home,” said Kanagaratnam Theivendirarajah, head of the emergency wing of Caritas Sri Lanka.

While many fainted in class, others stopped coming to school. With the parents — many of them widowed mothers — struggling to feed their children, Theivendirarajah said, the parents sent the children to menial jobs for “additional income” instead of school.

After Caritas started providing food to 15,000 of the 25,000 children in 85 schools across the rebel-held areas, the drop-out ratio declined considerably — to 4% from 15% within a couple of years.

In fact, parents were encouraged to send their children to school as they were assured of the nutritious meal distributed around noon.

Though the initial supplies were brought from outside Wanni, the Caritas official pointed out that with the formation of the women's groups, the task of collecting the necessary ingredients and preparing the food was left to the women's group in the area.

With the Church offering attractive prices for local farm produce, the school feeding program has led to greater farming activity by the lethargic war victims who have been displaced several times during two decades of war.

When thousands of houses on the coastline were washed away by the tsunami waves last year, Father Peter said, the bulk order to provide matted coconut-palm leaves to make temporary shelters were given only to the women's groups.

“These small [women's] groups might sound simple. But, they are vital to the economic revival of this region with hardly any economic activity,” said Father Peter.

However, Sasikala Thankaratnam, a Hindu woman associated with the Caritas group in Ratnapuram village, said that apart from improving their “miserable economic condition,” these groups have given a “sense to dignity and confidence” to the women.

In fact, she is expecting a windfall (by Wanni standards) when the 100 farm chickens she is grooming now would fetch her at least 50,000 rupees ($500) by Christmas.

Thankaratnam had to depend on the petty income from the shop run by her husband with a paralyzed arm from the war. But, since she started a poultry venture with a loan from the Church group, Thankaratnam said: “We have no worries now.”

Anto Akkara is based in New Delhi.

----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Anto Akkara ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Keeping Christmas DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

Last year, the week before Christmas found me in a panic. In a last-minute fit of anxiety, I wiped the family calendar clean of all outside activities and, in bright red marker, wrote the words “CHRISTMAS BAKING” on Dec. 23.

I was determined: We would have rum balls. We would have chocolate-drizzled pretzels. We would have delicate butter cookies filled with gumdrop surprises. We would have gingerbread men sporting button-down shirts and darling bowties. We would have peanut-butter fudge, chocolate fudge and penuche. Yes sir, we would have cookie platters to die for. Even if it killed me.

It almost did. You see, in all my optimistic planning, I had neglected to account for the fact that I was six months pregnant. I had also conveniently overlooked the fact that I had six other children who happened to be bouncing off the walls with a sugar infused, pre-holiday rush of energy.

But, at the time, none of that mattered. There was baking to be done. I started with the fudge. When I pulled out my mixing bowls and set the ingredients on the counter, several small bodies immediately descended upon me. They climbed chairs and elbowed their way toward the good stuff. They begged. They touched. They tasted.

I remained resolute. I muddled my way through a batch of fudge, set it aside to cool and then dove into the next recipe. It wasn't until I was midway through a double recipe of gingerbread dough that the commotion in the kitchen and the throbbing pain in my legs made me second-guess my culinary zeal. After breaking up a candy-cane sword fight, settling a toddler tantrum and retrieving my measuring cups from the toy box, I began to feel just a tiny bit discouraged.

Why is it that preparing for Christmas is idyllic only in its brainstorming stage? So often, executing even the best-laid plan is quite a different story. My saving grace — last year as in so many years past — is that, at some point, it always comes to me that the truest joys of Christmas are found in the least busy moments.

Mary knew this. At that first Christmas all those years ago, the Blessed Mother did not run around the stable in a panic because she had no egg nog to offer the shepherds. Scripture tells us very little about anything Mary might have said or done at the Savior's birth. This alone is telling: “And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).

Like Mary, we too can “keep” the things of Christmas — all the little details of the birth of Jesus — and reflect on them in our hearts

In the midst of the inevitable commotion of my family's Christmas this year, I intend to bear in mind Our Lady's example of doing less and observing more. I will keep my children's beaming faces and eyes wide with anticipation as they gather around the crèche before the midnight Mass. I will keep 4-year-old Stephen's precious voice belting out “Away in a Manger” with all his innocent heart. I will keep the candlelit beauty of the adorned altar.

I will keep the communal sense of warmth and joy that surrounds us in the pews at Christmas Mass. And when at last our Savior comes, I pray that I will keep him, too. I pray that I will welcome him with joy and keep him always in my heart.

Even when I'm in the kitchen.

Danielle Bean writes from Belknap, New Hampshire.

----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Danielle Bean ----- KEYWORDS: Travel -------- TITLE: Honoring Abortion Supporter in Boston DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

BOSTON — When Catholic Charities honored the mayor of Boston, the Church didn't join in.

Archbishop Sean O'Malley skipped the event when Boston Catholic Charities honored Mayor Thomas Menino, an abortion supporter, at its Dec. 9 Christmas fund-raising dinner. The group praised his “consistent support of Catholic Charities.”

But the mayor has a public record stretching back to at least 1992 of supporting abortion and homosexual activism.

Citing a “crisis of infidelity to Church teachings,” more than 100 Boston-area Catholics Dec. 1 petitioned Archbishop Sean O'Malley to insist the honor be withdrawn — or to rein the agency in and change its leadership.

“The people of Boston have lost confidence in the spiritual leadership of Catholic Charities,” stated the petition, with 133 signatures. While pledging to support the archbishop, the petition that was organized in just three days urged him to “put authentic Catholic beliefs and teachings back into Catholic Charities of Boston.”

The agency's move has undermined efforts of Catholics working to defend life and to get a pro-family marriage protection issue on the state ballot, petition co-author William Hobbib of Newton said in a telephone interview. And the decision came weeks after an October revelation that Catholic Charities has placed children for adoption with homosexual couples.

The Boston Herald reported Dec. 7 that a letter from the Vatican embassy in Washington, D.C., urged Archbishop O'Malley to stop Catholic Charities from facilitating adoptions unless homosexual couples are excluded. The newspaper cited an anonymous source.

Asked about the letter, the archdiocese issued a statement saying it does not comment on “private communications it might receive from the Holy See.”

Catholic Charities has said it is bound by the state's non-discrimination laws. An interdiocesan commission in Massachusetts is studying the situation.

But Archbishop O'Malley announced Nov. 22 that he would not attend the Dec. 9 dinner. He noted that the U.S. Catholic Bishops, in a 2004 policy statement, affirmed that Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of fundamental Catholic moral principles.

The executive board of the state's Knights of Columbus also bowed out of the dinner because of Menino's being honored, State Deputy Richard Guerriero said in a telephone interview.

Petition co-author Carol McKinley of Duxbury said in an interview that petition organizers intensified their efforts Dec. 5-7 by contacting every director on the Catholic Charities Board and all big donors, urging them to refrain from attending. The archdiocese is still out of compliance with the bishops’ directive, she said.

Catholic Action League of Massachusetts Executive Director C.J. Doyle said that he was pleased with archbishop's decision to boycott the dinner, and he has been urging people to thank him. The organization also called on Catholic Charities’ leadership to withdraw the invitation to Menino and to “apologize to the archbishop and the Catholic community for its complicity in this grave scandal.”

Catholic Charities President Father Bryan Hehir could not be reached by the Register for comment, but his spokesman stood by the agency's initial statement: “Catholic Charities firmly supports Catholic teaching concerning these matters (abortion and same-sex “marriage’). We differ with the mayor on both of these issues, even as we recognize his contributions to those we seek to serve each day in our city.”

Cape Cod Pro-Life Alliance President Patricia Stebbins wrote to Father Hehir: “You do our efforts to uphold Church pro-life, pro-family teachings a tremendous disservice by such callous disregard.”

Columnist Frank Mazzaglia wrote Nov. 27 in the MetroWest Daily News: “The time is long overdue for a serious re-organization of Catholic Charities, which continues to exhibit a rebellious spirit and a lack of leadership.”

While noting that the largest social service agency in Massachusetts does tremendous good every day for residents regardless of their faith, Mazzaglia concluded, “However, it is now clear that the majority of the governing body of Catholic Charities does not care one whit about the doctrines of the Church to which it is connected.”

McKinley, who founded the grassroots Catholic group “Faithful Voice” (in response to “Voice of the Faithful”), said of the agency's stand on Menino: “It's disingenuous. This makes it look as if as long as we do good works, we have no need to be concerned about the salvation of our souls.”

“Avoid Scandal'

Menino's office did not respond to the Register's request for comment, but he defended his public record in a Boston Globe article Nov. 30: ““When the pope speaks on doctrine, that is absolute. I don't think choice and gay marriage are doctrine.”

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, however, the Church's teaching role does extend to matters of faith and morals (890-891).

Menino deflected the issue by criticizing those who called for his invitation to be withdrawn. He said they were “uncharitable” and “angry” because of church closings and the sexual abuse scandal.

Not so, McKinley countered. “This is about an internal schism in our religion; Menino's comments clearly show that,” she said in the same article.

Her petition states, “While we are grateful for the mayor's contributions to the poor, his published statements portraying our resolve to defend the culture of life as being “not charitable’ are in error.”

The petition asks the archbishop to “avoid further scandal and confusion to the faithful by correcting public misstatements regarding Catholic doctrine by Mayor Menino.”

Mazzaglia concluded in his column, “The archdiocese is reluctant to take on Catholic Charities directly. It's not because of the money, but rather because of the good that money can do for the desperately poor. Sooner or later, Catholic Charities is a problem that cries out for resolution.”

Gail Besse is based in Hull, Massachusetts.

----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Gail Besse ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: A Day-by-Day Guide to Season DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

For many Catholics, Christmas seems to stop on the evening of Christmas Day. The presents have been unwrapped, the turkey eaten, Midnight Mass took place last night and the visiting grandparents have had a happy day and are snoozing gently.

Inevitably, the next morning brings a sense of anticlimax. But the glory of Christmas lasts for much longer than the day itself — and for Catholics the ensuing days ought to be a time to savor the feast and bring out its true meaning.

Remember the old carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas”? It's a reminder that the Christmas celebrations continue until Epiphany — Jan. 6, the day we commemorate the revealing of Christ to the wider world, as the three Magi arrive from the East to worship him.

There are several important days to celebrate up to and including Epiphany, and preparing for these, and marking them, each in their own way, can be a wonderful way to ensure the true spirit of Christmas shines in our homes and reminds us of the real meaning of the feast.

Dec. 26, St. Stephen's Day. In Britain, it is known as Boxing Day — a reference to “Christmas boxes” or presents. St. Stephen was of course the first martyr, and we can read about him in the Acts of the Apostles. This day is associated with the tradition of “wassailing” in England which, like caroling in the states, involves going from house to house. A traditional song is sung, invoking a blessing on the family: The wassailers are then invited in for a hot drink and a mince pie or slice of Christmas cake

Dec. 27, St. John's Day honors the great apostle and evangelist who stayed with Our Lord right to the foot of the cross, standing with Our Lady. He is a wonderful saint to honor, and we can recall Christ's words to him urging him to take Mary into his own home. We must take her into ours, too, though the day is known by some children because by an old custom, they get to drink a little bit of spiced wine that day.

Dec. 28, the feast of the Holy Innocents, reminds us that Christmas is bittersweet — a joyful time, but the inauguration of a salvation that was won through Christ's suffering. The Holy Innocents were the little boys who were killed at the command of Herod, who desperately wanted to eliminate the newborn king. In medieval times it was the day on which altar boys and choristers had their party, after working hard at all the great liturgical celebrations over Christmas. In cathedrals, a boy would be elected “bishop” on St. Nicholas Day in December and would hold office until Holy Innocents Day, when his reign would finish with a party! The day has increasingly been used to commemorate those killed by abortion.

Dec. 29, the feast of St. Thomas a Becket, honors the great martyr of Canterbury Cathedral in England. He was killed on this day in 1170 in the reign of Henry II. Refusing to conform the Church to the wishes of the King, he was slaughtered by four soldiers and the spot in the cathedral where he fell is still marked today and visited by pilgrims and tourists. Geoffrey Chaucer described a pilgrimage to Canterbury in his famous Canterbury Tales. Going “Thomassing” — yes, trips from house-to-house again! — was a tradition in England on this day, with money being collected for the poor. St. Thomas was seen as a winter saint, one whose aid could be invoked for those suffering from cold or hunger at this season. Enjoy some of the poetry from T.S. Eliot's play Murder in the Cathedral on this day (Google.com can find it).

Dec. 30, the feast of the Holy Family, is a day to thank God for our family, and to pray for all refugees and those made homeless as were the Holy Family as they fled the threat from Herod. A day to pray for the defense of family life against the many threats, including legal ones, that the family and marriage face today.

Dec. 31. And so to New Year's Eve and St. Sylvester. He was an early Pope, and is significant because he was one of the first non-martyr saints, canonized simply because of the holiness of his life. He served in the fourth century as the first Pope elected following the end of persecution and the start of a new era under the emperor Constantine. In Germany and elsewhere, celebrations of St. Sylvester have blended into New Year's Eve celebrations.

Jan. 1, Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God and World Day of Peace. She's the mother of God and she's also the “Mother” of the New Year. If the secular world gives us “New Year's resolutions” on this day, the Church does the world one better by asking us all to report for Mass on the first day of the year. Just as early queens were brought out to send off new ships, the Queen of Heaven and Earth is here to launch the New Year. It's also the World Day of Peace, and Pope Benedict will deliver the annual Peace Message from the Vatican.

Jan. 6 is Epiphany in most of the world. This feast of the arrival of the Magi — or Three Kings — has often rivaled Christmas, and has its own delightful traditions. Try the delicious French galette (a cake made of two layers of puff-pastry with marzipan baked between) with its hidden bean which makes the finder a king for the day. Or discover the Italian Befana, who brings presents for children on this day and hides them in a box of bran or flour. We all dip in to find a parcel, and some are blanks, so there are some worries until everyone has found a little gift!

And as we take down the Christmas tree and put the Nativity figures away, don't forget that, for many, the Christmas season is 40 days long and lasts until Feb. 2nd — Candlemas, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord.

So keep some candles ready and plan a little party for that feast too.

Joanna Bogle writes from London.

----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Joanna Bogle ----- KEYWORDS: Commentary -------- TITLE: Campus Watch DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

Second Prom Nixed

NEWSDAY, Dec. 2 — A second Catholic high school on New York's Long Island, Chaminade High School in Mineola, is canceling its proms this year because of what administrators say is “a toxic culture of overspending and overhyping among students,” said the newspaper.

Another local high school, Kellenberg Memorial in Uniondale, N.Y., called off its prom several weeks ago due to similar concerns. Both schools are administered by the Marianist Fathers and Brothers.

As at Kellenberg, many Chaminade students and parents have complained about the loss of the prom.

One student, sophomore Sean Robert, 16, took a different view. The prom, he said “has become a vehicle for night-long debauchery, not a fun rite of passage to end the year. “I think it was the right thing.”

No Beantown Bacchanal

THE BOSTON HERALD, Dec. 6 — Boston College has put the brakes on an in-your-face AIDS benefit dance sponsored by homosexual students.

The Jesuit school said the theme of the event, originally slated as “A Night in Gay Paris,” would have been at odds with Catholic teachings, reported the daily newspaper.

“Gay students are accepted and welcomed at Boston College, but as a Catholic university we cannot sanction an event that promotes a lifestyle that is in conflict with Church teaching and the mission and heritage of Boston College,” said BC spokesman Jack Dunn.

Harvey Silverglate, a Boston lawyer who specializes in free speech on college campuses, said the school is within its rights to set its own policies as long as they are consistent.

----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Education -------- TITLE: Where Christ Was Born DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

JERUSALEM — The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem is concerned about two new initiatives being spearheaded by evangelical Christians. He fears they will be woefully out of touch with Holy Land Christians.

The first initiative is a proposed monthly Christian edition of the Jerusalem Post. But the project raising the most hackles is a Holy Land theme park.

The project, announced in May but only now getting off the ground, is the creation of a $60 million Christian Heritage Center near the Sea of Galilee that will be funded by American evangelical Christians. The Israeli government will provide the 125-acre plot free of charge, as well as the infrastructure.

Father Humam Khzouz, the Latin Patriarchate's new chancellor, fears that the park's creation is merely the Israeli government's way “to appease evangelical foreigners by providing them a holy site to call their own. While we welcome any collaboration among members of the various faiths, the project around the Sea of Galilee smells more political than religious.”

Other local Christians tended to agree. Jonathan Kuttab, a Jerusalem-based lawyer who identifies himself as an “evangelical Christian Palestinian,” told the New York publication Jewish Week that although he has no objection to a Christian Heritage Park in theory, “from what I've heard, this park appears to be an attempt to create a commercial attraction that is totally divorced from the local Christian community.”

Kuttab, who sits on the board of Sabeel, a Palestinian organization that has held conferences denouncing Christian Zionism, believes that the vast majority of evangelical Christians who visit the Holy Land “tend to ignore, or are even hostile to” Palestinian Christian heritage, what he terms “the most authentic, the most spiritual heritage around.”

When pilgrims visit the holy sites “without visiting the living Church, the living stones, the people who live here,” Kuttab said, “then they are missing the true value of the pilgrimage.”

Atallah Mansour, a Greek Catholic from Nazareth, fears that the park could be a source of tension for Christian Arabs in nearby villages.

“Hopefully it will provide some jobs, but the question is really whether it will provoke its Arab neighbors,” Mansour said. “I don't think the way many evangelical Christians think. They're pro-Israel, which is fine with me, but they are also anti-Palestinian.”

Added Mansour, “If they were opposed to the disengagement, then we're not part of the same species. We're not entitled to tell them not to support Israel, but they're not entitled to be anti-Palestinian.”

The Newspaper

The other project is a joint venture between the newspaper and the International Christian Embassy, a staunchly pro-Israel evangelical organization based in Jerusalem.

Every year the Christian Embassy brings thousands of pilgrims to the Holy Land during the Feast of Tabernacles, and provides ongoing humanitarian aid to Jews and Christian Arabs. Last month, the Embassy launched an “anti-divestment” campaign to encourage evangelical Christians to invest in Israel, a move intended to counter the Presbyterian Church's “divest from Israel” campaign.

In an interview with the Register, Father Khzouz said that “although we welcome the interest of all journalists, including the local media, in Israel, in Christian affairs, the fact that none of the 13 traditional churches of the Holy Land — none of them — are involved in determining the content of such a supplement, makes [it] far from being wise and representative of the true reality of Christians in general and local Christians in specific.”

The vast majority of the Holy Land's Christians — the community stands at less than 200,000 due to a steady stream of emigration — are Arabs and identify with, or are themselves, Palestinians. Many resent the fact that American evangelical Christians, who view the ingathering of the Jews to the Land of Israel as a central component of their faith, are overwhelmingly pro-Israel.

The way the Jerusalem Post is marketing its Christian edition (the motto is “Stand With Israel, Pray for Israel, Comfort Israel”) clearly sets the tone. The promotional edition, which was distributed during the Christian Embassy's annual conference in the fall, contains a mix of articles, including a piece on the Protestant divestment campaign and why it is important for Christians to invest in Israel, as well as an investigation of how the European Union funds the Palestinians.

David Parsons, the Embassy's information officer, said that the paper will be geared toward “the growing Christian Zionist movement,” but that “it's also going to have articles on the diversity of Christians in the Holy Land. We'll have articles on biblical sites, travel, history, archaeological excavations.”

Malcolm Hedding, the Christian Embassy's director, was more direct. When he learned of Father Khzouz's opinion of the paper's direction, Hedding replied, “We're not excluding anyone or fighting with anyone. We closed the deal with the Jerusalem Post as a proactive initiative. We honor and love other Christians, and they're free to put together their own initiative. We're not going to apologize to anyone for our beliefs.”

Although the Christian Embassy is not involved with the proposed Christian Heritage Park, it does support it in principle.

“It will encourage more Christians to come on pilgrimages to the land, and that is a good thing,” Hedding said, noting that most of the Christian institutions located around the Sea of Galilee are associated with the Catholic Church and other traditional churches.

“From what we've heard, the Heritage Park will appeal to all Christians,” he said, “but it will also have special meaning to evangelicals.”

Michele Chabin writes from Jerusalem.

----- EXCERPT: Will Theme Park Commercialize The Holy Land? ----- EXTENDED BODY: Michele Chabin ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Dear Santa: Please Bring Christmas Books DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

Amid all the excitement and buildup of the season, it's easy for kids to miss the true meaning of Christmas.

Here are some books that will help steer young hearts and minds toward Bethlehem — and may even instill a hunger to learn more about what comes next.

JESUS, ME, AND MY CHRISTMAS TREE

written by Crystal Bowman

illustrated by Claudine Gevry

Zondervan, 2005

18 pages, $6.99

Available in bookstores

“My tree tells a story of long, long ago / From the star on the top to the presents below.” Christmas is at time of glitter and glow, full of hearty pine trees, shiny ornaments, clear-ringing bells and wished-for presents. This book celebrates some of the symbols and customs of Christmas, and connects them to the story of Jesus’ birth. An oversized board book that opens in the shape of a Christmas tree, this book is as much fun to hold as it is to read. Ages 3 to 6.

ROOM FOR A LITTLE ONE:

A CHRISTMAS TALE

written by Martin Waddell

illustrated by Jason Cockcroft

Margaret K. McElderry, 2004

32 pages, $15.95

Available in bookstores

On a cold winter's night, Kind Ox offers to share his stable with one cold stranger after another. In turn, Old Dog, Stray Cat and Small Mouse take up their residence. But it's Old Donkey who brings the most special guest of all. He escorts the Holy Family into the special stable, where the baby Jesus will be born. The simple storyline, warm tone and mesmerizing acrylic illustrations make this an excellent addition to any Christmas collection. Ages 3 to 8.

TWINKLE, TWINKLE LITTLE STAR

based on the traditional rhyme

illustrated by Lesley Harker

Scholastic, 2000

Available in bookstores

“Twinkle, Twinkle” as a Christmas carol? In this clever picture book, the traditional words of the nursery rhyme are paired with illustrations that depict the story of the first Christmas. Two modern-day children are intrigued by the stars. One night they set out to follow a special glimmering one and they are transported to ancient Bethlehem. When they arrive at the manger, they have a present for baby Jesus. Even very little readers will enjoy the captivating illustrations and the simple, well-loved tune. Ages 3 to 6.

GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN

Written by Debbie Trafton O'Neal

Illustrated by Fiona King

Augsburg Fortress, 2003

32 pages, $8.99

To order: (800) 328-4648

augsburgbooks.com

The Christmas sing-along continues with this beautiful edition of the popular folk tune. The intricate illustrations do more than just depict the story of the first Christmas. They also show evangelization in action. Each time the “Go tell it” refrain is repeated, the characters are shown calling out, sharing the good news and inviting others to witness the miracle of the Christmas season. The final pages offer great ideas for hands-on Christmas activities that the whole family can enjoy. Ages 3 to 8.

CHRISTMAS IN THE BARN

written by Margaret Wise Brown

illustrated by Diane Goode

HarperCollins Publishers, 2004

32 pages, $15.99

Available in bookstores

“In a big warm barn in an ancient field / The oxen lowed, the donkey squealed” begins this retelling of the birth of Christ. Parents and even some grandparents will remember this story, first released in 1952 by the author of Goodnight Moon. New full-color illustrations of the barn and its many visitors that one wintry night complement the simple rhyming verse. Ages 3 to 6.

SAINT FRANCIS AND THE

CHRISTMAS DONKEY

written and illustrated by Robert Byrd

Dutton Children's Books, 2000

40 pages, $17.99

Available in bookstores

An unhappy donkey complains to St. Francis of Assisi. Why, he asks, do donkeys have to carry such heavy loads on their small backs? St. Francis tells him about the love, devotion and courage of the Christmas donkey. That donkey, selected by Joseph to carry Mary and her unborn child from Nazareth to Bethlehem, uses all his strength to bring his “burden” safely to the stable. His warm breath comforts the newborn Jesus. Ages 4 to 8.

CHRISTMAS DAY IN THE MORNING

written by Pearl S. Buck

illustrated by Mark Buehner

HarperCollins Publishers, 2002

40 pages, $16.99

Available in bookstores

The 15-year-old son of a farmer yearns to give his dad a special gift. Why not, the boy wonders, give that gift out in the barn — a barn much like the stable in which Jesus was born? Working alone in the wee hours of Christmas morning, the son milks all the cows. When his father discovers his “present,” he promises to remember it every Christmas morning for as long he lives. Now an old man, the son remembers fondly the gift of love he gave. Ages 8 and older.

THE STABLE WHERE JESUS WAS BORN

written by Rhonda Gowler Greene

illustrated by Susan Gaber

Aladdin, 2002

32 pages, $6.99

Available in bookstores

“This is the baby in swaddling clothes, the small precious baby, the one whom God chose…” This tale provides a great introduction to each member of the Holy Family and the wonder of that first Christmas night. The warm, inviting pictures and repetitive cadence of the text are just right for young readers. Ages 3 to 8.

THE HURON CAROL

written by St. Jean de Brébeuf

illustrated by Frances Tyrell

Eerdmans, 2003

32 pages, $16.00

Available in bookstores

Originally written in the language of the Huron Indians, this hymn reveals the zeal of the French Jesuit missionary and martyr St. Jean de Brébeuf to make Christ known in a culture vastly different from his own. “The chiefs from far before Him knelt with gifts of fox and beaver pelt,” for example, describes the visit of the Magi. Ages 6 and older.

CHRISTMAS SOUP

written by Alice Faye Duncan

and Phyllis Dooley

illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist

Zondervan, 2005

Pages, $15.99

Available in bookstores

It's Christmas Eve and times are lean for the Beene family — nothing but the same old watery tomato soup for dinner. When the youngest Beene prays for “something more,” the prayer is answered in an unexpected way — one that changes their perspective on what it really means to celebrate Christmas. This book serves up hearty lessons on gratitude and the importance of helping those less fortunate. Ages 4 to 8.

Patricia A. Crawford writes from

Winter Park, Florida.

Kerry A. Crawford writes

from Pittsburgh.

----- EXCERPT: Children's Book Picks ----- EXTENDED BODY: Patricia A. Crawford and Kerry A. Crawford ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: He Defends Christmas ... and Hanukkah ... and Ramadan DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

Kevin Seamus Hasson is busy this time of year.

The founder and president of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a public interest law firm dedicated to protecting religious liberty, Hasson is busy with numerous challenges to Nativity scenes on public property. Author of the new book The Right to Be Wrong: Ending the Culture War Over Religion in America (Encounter, 2005), Hasson once worked under Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. He spoke to Register correspondent Joseph A. D'Agostino.

Some will argue that if we continue to allow Christmas trees and menorahs, some day we will have Islamic crescents, Wiccan symbols, pagan symbols, and, some day, devil worshippers. Where does this end?

Jersey City, N.J., in 1997, under Mayor Brett Schundler, had a Nativity scene for Christmas, a menorah for Hanukkah, put up a sign to proclaim Ramadan, and celebrated the Hindu festival of lights with the grand phagwah parade. That was simply the mayor being the mayor. There were significant numbers of Muslims in the community, significant numbers of Hindus in the community, and Christians and Jews as well.

In a rural town in Utah or in Borough Park in Brooklyn, there is simply no point in having a grand phagwah parade because there aren't any Hindus there. As long as the government is faithfully recognizing the culture of the people it serves, there is no difficulty with celebrating some religious elements of one culture and not others.

How did you end up in the line of work that you are in, defending religious liberty?

I went to law school believing that the culture wars were out of hand and needed a Catholic perspective. And that was my intention, to do something like this, right from the first day of law school. Then I started at a big firm with the idea of spending all my pro bono time on religious liberty, only to find that I didn't have any pro bono time. During the Reagan administration at the Justice Department, I became the church-state lawyer in the Office of Legal Counsel with Sam Alito, among others. I left there to join Williams & Connolly, which was the Church's law firm. I spent several years there doing religious liberty law about a third of the time and doing product liability law the other two-thirds of the time. I became convinced that the culture war needed a larger presence than a one-third-time lawyer. So I made a retreat in Rome, and decided I should do full-time what I set out to do when I went to law school and started the Becket Fund.

We opened our doors on May 13, 1994. We were incorporated on Dec. 8 of 1993.

What have been the biggest cases or the most important cases you have been involved in?

Probably the most important case is one that we are involved in at the moment. We're representing the Knights of Columbus and the other kids in the class in defending against Michael Newdow's attack against “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, in a case that will almost certainly go to the U.S. Supreme Court.

It will decide not only whether kids can say the Pledge of Allegiance as Congress intended it to be said, it will decide the larger question of whether Americans are allowed to say where their rights come from. When the Knights of Columbus lobbied to have “one nation under God” inserted into the pledge, they and the congressmen and senators who supported them believed it was important to distinguish the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag from the pledge of allegiance to the Soviet flag.

The pledge of allegiance to the Soviet flag was the recognition that the Soviet state was the source of all rights, and therefore could modify or revoke them at will. The American state had to be humble before a greater source of its rights. They were endowed to each individual by his or her Creator.

This was nothing other than the incorporation, by reference, of the Declaration of Independence into the Pledge of Allegiance.

Logically, then, if you can't recite the Pledge of Allegiance with its language of “one nation under God,” you can't recite the Declaration of Independence's language about being endowed by our Creator. Or put differently, Mr. Newdow is claiming a right not to hear our long-standing conviction of where our rights come from. If he succeeds in establishing that right, he will have turned American rights theory precisely on its head.

Hasn't the Supreme Court already decided, or isn't it thought by public school officials that it has been decided, that it is unconstitutional to teach children that their rights come from God?

That may well be the practice at public schools. Lots of crazy things are the practice at public schools…. Hillsboro, N.J., banned Valentine's Day because it's named after a saint, and if you're a 12-year-old boy with a crush on a 12-year-old girl in Hillsboro, you have to embarrass her with something called a Special Person card, because Feb. 14 is not Valentine's Day anymore, it's Special Person Day.

In Lansing, Mich., the Easter Bunny was caught violating the separation of church and state and summarily replaced with a breakfast with the Special Bunny.

There is an understanding among some people that religious liberty in this country really embraces only a Judeo-Christian range, and, for example, the religious freedom of Muslims to have multiple wives is not protected by the Constitution. And the freedom of descendants of Aztecs to perform human sacrifice is not protected by the Constitution. So when we say we're for religious liberty, are we really saying it's for all or in a Judeo-Christian context?

We mean religious liberty for all. It's not that religious liberty is less for Muslims. Muslims are welcome to wear their beards in the Newark Police Department because of the Becket Fund; they are welcome to wear their hijabs (headscarves); they are welcome to pray the required times in public schools in Texas because of the Becket Fund.

But they, like Mormons, an American home-grown religion, are not free to commit bigamy. That's not because they're Muslims, or Mormons, but because there are limits on all freedoms, including religious freedom. That limit is public health, safety, and morals.

Tell me about Samuel Alito.

Samuel Alito is a regular guy who happens to be a legal genius.

He has all the benefits of an Ivy League education, but he also has all the benefits of growing up as the son of an Italian immigrant. He's never forgotten that.

Sam treats his employees the same way he treats his fellow judges the same way he treats the lawyers who appear before him the same way he treats a taxi driver. He's humble and down to earth with all of them, and to treat all of them the same is quite an accomplishment, especially for someone who has spent so much time in Washington.

But having said that, he's a legal genius, and he will very respectfully and in a very soft-spoken way, insist that every “i” be dotted and every “t” be crossed, and that's what makes him such a fine judge and such a principled one at that.

What can you say about his general legal philosophy?

I have appeared before him four times now in arguing cases before the 3rd Circuit, and he is meticulously committed to adhering to the Constitution, and at the same time not going an inch farther than he has to in deciding any given case.

So he's conservative in the sense that he's committed to the Constitution as it is rather than as someone thinks it ought to be, and he's conservative in the sense he will not reach out to decide great questions if there is no need to do so.

What is his attitude toward precedent?

Judge Alito in my experience has given due weight to precedent, no more, no less.

Joseph A. D'Agostino writes from Washington, D.C.

----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Joseph A. D'Agostino ----- KEYWORDS: Inperson -------- TITLE: A White House Ghost of Christmas Past DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

In 1856 a group of children sang “Away in a Manger” in the White House and played an important part in bringing a Christmas story to a beautiful and happy ending.

Two months before the inauguration of Franklin Pierce, America's 14th president, the Pierce's only surviving child, Bennie, was killed in a railroad accident. Jane Pierce, whose two other sons died in early childhood, fell into a deep melancholy. She did not attend her husband's inauguration. In fact, she wanted nothing to do with Washington, D.C. Becoming “First Lady” meant nothing to her in the face of lost motherhood. Her grief, despite her abiding Christian faith, was inconsolable.

Mrs. Pierce remained in Boston and would not leave for several days. Friends persuaded her to join her husband in the nation's capital. She got as far as Baltimore and found a hotel where she stayed for several weeks. President Pierce visited her as often as he could. At last, he was able to persuade her to accompany him back to Washington.

Poor Lady Pierce, the “very picture of melancholy,” as one person described her, had staterooms at the White House draped in black in honor of Bennie. She refused to take part in any political functions, picked out two rooms on the second floor where she secluded herself, spending much of her time writing long letters to her lost child. She would give the letters to Sidney Webster, confidential secretary to the president, who would routinely promise to get them in the mail right away. She came to exemplify, according to Washington gossips, “The Shadow of the White House.”

The First Lady's unrelieved dark mood was, naturally, of great concern to her husband as well as to White House staff members. Sidney Webster, together with some of his co-workers, hoping to bring some cheer into the life of Mrs. Pierce, came up with a bold, though psychologically risky, idea. They would arrange for a Christmas tree to be set up inside the White House and a group of youngsters to sing carols. With the president's approval, the plan went ahead. It would all be, they hoped and prayed, for Mrs. Pierce's benefit.

On the morning of Christmas Eve, the president's grieving wife was led downstairs by her husband to the door of the East Room. As the door opened, boys and girls from the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church began singing “Away in a Manger.”

Lady Pierce, completely taken by surprise, wept so vigorously that she shook. As she began to regain her composure, she became entranced by the brightly decorated tree and was beguiled by the children raising their voices in honor of a Savior born in a manger.

According to Washington tradition, Jane Pierce then produced the first radiant smile that anyone in the capital had ever seen flash upon her face. “Thank you, boys and girls, for your beautiful carols,” she said. “Keep your places, please, while Mr. Snow [the informal chief of staff] goes to see what sweetmeats Cook has made ready for your visit.” Turning to her husband and still radiant with surprise and joy, she embraced him and exclaimed: “Thank you, Mr. Pierce, for the most wonderful Christmas tree in the world. Best of all, Bennie is looking down from heaven and is enjoying it with us. That means I won't even have to write him a letter to describe it! Thank you for the most wonderful Christmas surprise I ever had!”

One cannot underestimate the magic and the grace of the Christmas season and the countless expressions of good will that come from well wishers. Honoring the babe born in Bethlehem in song provides an unfailing benediction.

Donald DeMarco is adjunct professor at Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut.

----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Donald Demarco ----- KEYWORDS: Commentary -------- TITLE: The Waiting DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

EDITORIAL

Christmas didn't change anything.

At least it can seem that way. And that should give us great consolation.

We're not told what happened to the shepherds after that fateful first Noel, but we can imagine that they might have gotten a little bit discouraged.

They heard angels sing Gloria in Excelsis Deo and proclaim peace on earth. Then the angels left, and peace didn't come. Mysterious Magi followed a star from faraway lands and laid gifts at the feet of the newborn king. Then the Magi left, and the only effect of their coming was to provoke King Herod to order a brutal, bloody massacre.

By the time those shepherds, the first recipients of the Good News, were old men, the news still looked bad. John the Baptist was the newest prophet, and his message the same as always: Keep waiting.

If the shepherds followed the career of Jesus at all, it would seem to offer little consolation. Jesus appeared on the scene, did his miracles, caused a stir — then lost most of his followers, was tortured and killed.

Who could blame them if they got discouraged? We get discouraged, too.

We know Christianity did a lot of good — but only in the past. Christians built Western Civilization, but now Western Civilization has abandoned Christ. The good he did is disintegrating. God promised the Church that it would prevail against the gates of hell, but that promise seems unreal. We've just finished the 20th century, marked by world wars and crimes against God, and entered the 21st century, marked with more of the same plus terrorism, the destruction of the family and anti-Christian persecution worldwide.

So what was the point of Christmas, after all?

If we complain that God seems to have abandoned his promises, we're in good company.

God's teaching method has always been the same. He makes a big promise, makes us wait an interminable length of time, then fulfills the promise in an unexpected way that exceeds all expectations.

God promised Abraham that his descendents would number as the stars, then made him wait for millennia. But today, Christians, Jews and Muslims consider themselves sons of Abraham.

God told the Israelites about a promised land, then left them wandering in the desert for decades. But the Holy Land is the center of international attention to this day.

Kids love Christmas’ combination of almost unbearable anticipation followed by generous surprises.

So does God.

The Jewish people's anticipation for the Messiah lasted centuries. But they didn't expect the generous surprise of God himself taking flesh to live among them. Christ himself lived a life of expectation and waiting amid suffering and apparent defeat. He was the King of Kings who told his followers to pray that his Kingdom would some day come. He was the Creator of the world who rejected the world when it was offered to him in the three temptations. He was the Prince of Peace who was hounded by enemies from his infancy to his execution.

The message of Christ's own life was clear: The joys of this earth will always be bittersweet. Look for greater joy elsewhere. When you find happiness on earth, know that God is giving you a preview of a greater happiness he has in store, elsewhere.

In this way, Christmas changed everything.

Life on earth used to be a place where all happiness is fleeting and death has the final word. Now it is a land of exile where God builds our anticipation for the unimaginable joys he has in store for us later.

The sufferings on earth used to be simply a punishment for the sins of men and women. Now they are a participation in the redemption of mankind. Darkness used to symbolize the world's doom. Now that symbol is turned on its head, because the deepest darkness is overcome so easily by the smallest light.

The truth is, God is fulfilling his promises even as we speak and, when he's done, we'll be surprised once again at how much he exceeds our expectations.

Just look at the words he uses to describe what we have in store: The Kingdom of God. The heavenly banquet. The New Jerusalem. A new heaven and a new earth.

We need to remember Abraham, Moses and the ages of waiting that came before our time. We who have the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, should certainly be able to muster as much patience and hope as they did.

After all, the message of Christmas — from the stockings at home to the crèche at Church — is that we can hardly even imagine what we have to look forward to.

----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Opinion -------- TITLE: Bringing Up Daddy DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

FACTS OF LIFE

Becoming a father civilizes a man. How? By causing his levels of testosterone to fall sharply after his child is born, according to researchers from Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles, Harvard University and the University of Nevada. Commenting on the study, a British psychology professor said the hormone drop-off seems to be nature's way of getting men to behave in a gentle, non-aggressive way around newborn offspring.

Source: BBC News, Nov. 9

Illustration by Tim Rauch

----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: Where Christmas Eagles Dare DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

Pairs of eagles watch from high points all around the large, cosmopolitan city of Vienna, Austria. But nowhere are they more impressive than near the top of the soaring southern tower of Stephansdom, St. Stephen's Cathedral.

Could there be a better time to gaze upon this pair, and venture inside the sanctuary below, than Dec. 26, feast of St. Stephen — the Church's first martyr? (See Acts 6:5-7:60.)

Twin eagles, you see, form the crest of the Hapsburg dynasty. A close-up of the finial bears Emperor Francis Joseph's motto, Viribus Unitis (United with all one's might).

But the crest is not the very pinnacle of the cathedral. For rising above the symbol of worldly power is the symbol of God's overpowering love: the Cross of Jesus Christ.

Stephansdom, in the heart of the historic area of Vienna, is a world unto itself. A large, paved pedestrian area in front is a reminder that the structure resides in the world while transcending it. Here coachmen offer rides, musicians play for coins and beggars ask for alms. This hustle and bustle fades to silence as you enter through the Giant's Portal, which dates to 1230. Inside, the Church's history in Austria unfolds in the art, architecture and sculpture of Stephansdom.

Austria has been a Catholic country for virtually all of its history. Vienna, the farthest eastern portion of current Austrian boundaries, was a critical outpost for the Holy Roman Empire. Throughout the Turkish-Christian battles of the Middle Ages, Steffl, the south tower of Stephansdom, was used as a monitoring spot to watch for marauders coming across the hills or up the Danube River. During the second siege in 1683, cannonballs pummeled the walls of Steffl and the southern nave. The marks can still be seen in the masonry. On Sept. 12, 1683, the military chaplain held Mass in the cathedral. The battle fought later that day finally freed the city from its siege.

In 1711, to commemorate this victory, the Pummerin (Boomer), a bell cast from the captured Turkish cannons, was placed in Steffl's bell tower.

Stephansdom was the site, too, of the re-birth of an independent Austria after World War II. Skirmishes between retreating Germans and advancing Russians caused a fire that destroyed nearly half the building, including beams that supported the Pummerin, causing the famous bell to come crashing down.

Through the devotion of Austrians, the completely renovated Stephansdom was reinaugurated on April 26, 1952. A new Pummerin, cast from the shards of the original, tolled throughout the solemn inauguration and continues its unique “song” today from its current location in the belfry of the north tower.

Artifacts of Antiquity

The cathedral is a pleasingly eclectic mix of eras and themes. It's got a Gothic roof, Baroque altar pieces and contemporary stained glass. And why not? Stephansdom is a perpetual work in progress, of sorts. Although the current building's footprint dates to the early 1300s, there is evidence of a church on this site around 1137. Excavations have unearthed fragments of Roman buildings, including a tombstone and early pagan sculptures.

The three-naved Gothic structure of the sanctuary is banked with pillar statues that are a veritable “who's who” of medieval devotion to saints. Completed between 1446 and 1465, these pillars tell the story of the life and death of Jesus and his saints in clear fashion to a once-predominately illiterate congregation.

A total of 95 columns support the Gothic roof, each with its own carved statue of saints, such as the Blessed Mother, John the Baptist and Christopher, as well as saints to whom Austrians have a particular devotion: Urban, Elizabeth of Thuringen, Morandus and Severin. Particularly beautiful are the three statues dedicated to Mary as the “Protective-Mantle Madonna” with her veil shielding her people.

Were it not a great cathedral, Stephansdom would be recognized as an important art museum. There are 15 side altars, dedicated to Our Lady and various saints, and each contains priceless works of art. The most eye-catching is the Weiner Neustadt altar. Dating to 1447, and placed here in 1883, is a four-winged, transformable altar piece. This triptych shows scenes from Mary's life, the Passion of Our Lord, and, when the altar is completely closed, 72 saints, including St. Florian and St. Stephen.

Originally created for a Cistercian monastery near Vienna, this triptych is a memorable, emotionally charged piece of art, with beautifully carved figures and settings. Different parts of the altar are opened or closed, depending on the liturgical season.

Schönborn's Seat

Similarly unique features abound on and around the exterior. The roof is covered with 230,000 multi-colored, glazed roof tiles, reproductions of the originals. Ten colors create the famous zigzag wave, which is bisected by a band of diamond; this pattern is said to be a replica of a Saracen carpet.

The north tower, stubby in height when viewed from Steffl, was originally designed to be a twin to the south tower. With the cornerstone laid by Emperor Friedrich III in 1450, the tower reached its present height in 1511. At that time, due to economic and social tensions in the wake of the Turkish threat and religious disorders, the decision was made to stop building. The cupola, as seen today, capped the “stump tower” in 1578. The Pummerin bell was placed here in 1957.

The exterior has its share of statues and carvings of sacred art, as well. From the 15th century, the Capistran Chancel stands next to the entrance to the catacombs. Here, St. John of Capistrano preached his sermons as an appointee of Emperor Friedrich III. The chancel has a Baroque addition from 1738, an addition created by the Franciscans showing the triumphant St. John of Capistrano trampling on a defeated Turkish invader.

The Gothic portals are carved with scenes of St. Paul's life, the death and coronation of Mary and the Four Evangelists. The carvings on the Giant's Portal, the main entry to the sanctuary, are the oldest and most distinctive of all. The tympanum shows Christ as ruler of the world, enthroned on a rainbow, his hand raised in blessing.

Far from being a relic of history, today's Stephansdom is a living, vibrant parish, the archdiocesan seat of Vienna. Masses are celebrated throughout the day, confessors are available and there's adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

And, of course, Stephansdom is the official seat of Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, archbishop of Vienna and primary editor of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

St. Stephen must be pleased.

Mary C. Gildersleeve writes from

Greenville, South Carolina.

Planning Your Visit

In addition to Mass and religious observances, Stephansdom plays host to music concerts and art exhibits throughout the year. Also, catacomb tours, rides up Steffl and the north tower, and guided tours of the cathedral are available throughout the day — check in the gift shop for further information. Visit stephansdom.at or st.stephan.at on the Internet, using Google.com or Altavista.com to translate the pages into English.

Getting There

Stephansdom is in the heart of the historic area of Vienna. By car, follow the signs to the city center and park at one of the many indoor parking garages. By subway, use either the U1 or the U3 line, getting off at “Stephansplatz.” An escalator will deliver you to the steps of the cathedral.

----- EXCERPT: Stephansdom (St. Stephen's Cathedral), Vienna, Austria ----- EXTENDED BODY: Mary C. Gildersleeve ----- KEYWORDS: Travel -------- TITLE: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

Where's My Alma Mater?

Regarding “Catholic College Survey '05” (Sept. 25-Oct. 1):

I find it unfortunate that you fail to include my alma-mater, Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., among your list of recommended colleges (as viewed on your website). I would like here to offer reasons why Saint Anselm is a worthy choice for potential Catholic collegians.

First, Saint Anselm does meet several criteria used on your list: numerous Catholic faculty and staff, an organization for life, single sex dorms and opposition to any pro-abortion mentality.

Second, I believe it would be wise to incorporate a wider understanding of collegiate life so as to make the best possible recommendations. A good college (for anyone, but Catholics in particular) should be academically sound, with a variety of courses so as to give its students the best education possible. Organizations that foster community service, spiritual growth, intellectual development and recreational opportunities are also essential. The presence of religious serves likewise to benefit a collegiate experience.

Third, and finally, because of both the first and second observations I make an unmitigated endorsement of Saint Anselm College. Saint Anselm possesses an almost unparalleled [experience of] academia, offering myriad majors and a wonderful core curriculum. Included in this curriculum is a nationally emulated humanities program, and mandatory philosophy and theology courses.

Furthermore, the Knights of Columbus, the ecumenical Bible-study group, the intramural sports program, the Meelia Center for volunteers, the campus ministry, the philosophy club and the theology society are some of the numerous extra-curricular options at Saint Anselm. With monks living on campus, Saint Anselm students see and meet everyday powerful witnesses to Christ. I myself lived this reality during four years at Saint Anselm College, and I hope many other young Catholics have the chance to do the same.

MATTHEW PIETROPAOLI

Rexford, New York

Editor's note: We've had several requests for more information about how our survey was compiled and how we chose which schools to cover. We sent surveys to the presidents’ offices at all Catholic colleges and universities, and followed up with the ones from whom we received no initial answer. We included all the universities that responded.

Complexity and Creation

Two letters under the heading “Let's Be Intelligent About Design” (Letters, Nov. 20-26), responding to the Oct. 30-Nov. 5 article “Design or Dumb Luck,” require comment.

One letter stated that intelligent design (ID) could not be considered as science because it is not testable. Well, neither is macroevolution (the transformation of a species into an entirely different species). Species transformation has never even been demonstrated, let alone tested; nor can it be found in the fossil record. Therefore ID and macroevolution are in the same boat.

The other letter claims that ID isn't needed because macroevolution “postulates a primitive earth teeming with single-cell life forms … with “increasing complexity.” This “postulating” was fine science 50 years ago, but advances in microbiology (through technological improvements in microscopes) have shown that all cells, primitive and modern, are all highly complex.

This is exactly why Antony Flew, the darling of atheists of the late 20th century, recently threw in the towel. He now says that such complexity demands some sort of God or intelligence.

RICHARD F. MCMAHON

St. Paul, Minnesota

Royal Order of Churchgoers?

I read the Register from cover to cover each week, but I had overlooked an interesting statement in the wire story on “Switching Churches” (Nov. 27-Dec. 3) until just today. It says that “a general principle of the ecumenical movement is that dialogue partners don't seek “conversion’ of each other's members.”

It would seem from this statement that the Church is no longer in the business of saving souls but counting the numbers. One should not wonder why the average Catholic now believes that it doesn't matter what church one belongs to so long as one believes in “something.”

Anyone who has been following the dissolution of the Anglican/Episcopal Church as a Christian institution would see that it is plagued with heterodoxy that, in another age, would be considered heretical by all denominations.

If souls are being lost while we observe these political niceties, then we are being irresponsible by not encouraging evangelization regardless of the source. And if orthodoxy or salvation is no longer an urgent matter, then we have totally lost the point of the Incarnation.

It would seem the Church has become a temporal fraternal society rather than a transcendental, salvific institution.

LARRY RUTHERFORD

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Weird Science

Relevant to “Design or Dumb Luck?” (Oct. 30-Nov. 5):

Science has rules. One could consider the “scientific method” a rule of science. This method includes a hypothesis, experiments, results and conclusions. The experiment's results could support, be inconclusive or contradict the hypothesis.

Consider a hypothesis: “Dry newspaper burns when held to an open flame.” If the newspaper always burns, the hypothesis has merit. If it never burns, it is an unsupported hypothesis. Consider another hypothesis: “Inorganic matter attained life on its own, and we (humanity), evolved from this basic life form.” Is there merit in this hypothesis? Show me a repeatable experiment where inorganic material becomes alive. If it never occurs, even with humanity's assistance, can it be expected to have occurred out of chaos and on its own?

After decades of not being able to make inorganic matter alive, scientists should acknowledge this as an unproved hypothesis. I wish scientists would follow their own rules and be more scientific. Scientists do not need to become creationists, but they should admit they cannot prove how life began and stop pushing unsupported theories as scientific “gospel truth.”

JOE AND SUE MARINCEL

Flower Mound, Texas

Moving McDermott

What a gift to the Body of Christ is Scott McDermott. His strength, bravery, charity and humility bring me to tears. In his commentary titled “Why I Thank God I Couldn't Be a Priest” (Dec. 11-17), he says that, in his search for his calling, he desired to “do something beautiful for God.” This he truly has done — not only in his writing, but in his powerful personal testimony to God's grace.

His witness is an inspiration to all people who seek to find their true calling, understanding their God-given gifts and talents while not despairing over their personal obstacles.

SUZANNE GREYDANUS

Bloomfield, New Jersey

Let's Step Up and Stop the War

As our nation anxiously prepares for the December independent elections in Iraq, and as political tensions heighten regarding public opinion and the presidency, it is time for Catholics to respond to the war in Iraq (“Shalt Thou Kill?” Nov. 27-Dec. 3).

Our faith empowers us to have a voice in this conflict, to share our beliefs and to engender political change. To accomplish this goal, we must have an informed Catholic conscience. We must turn to our Church's best-kept secret: Catholic social teaching.

One of the fundamental tenets of the Church's social teaching is that of just war. Just War Theory is presupposed by the assumption, laid forth by Pope John Paul II and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, that war is always an aberration and the presumption should always be on the side of peace. With this as their foundation, the bishops wrote a challenging document challenging modern warfare, “The Challenge of Peace,” in which they laid out the conditions of the just-war tradition.

They contend that, if all peaceful means of negotiation and diplomacy have been exhausted and force is only sought in cases of self-defense and humanitarian aid, then the following conditions must be met if a war is to be considered just and morally permissible: Jus ad bellum (criteria for justly declaring war) are just cause, competent authority, comparative justice, right intention, last resort, proportionality and probability of success; and jus in bello (moral norms for conducting war) are proportionality and non-combatant immunity.

According to just-war theory, all conditions must be met if a war is morally permissible. If we closely study the Iraq war with the criteria of non-combatant immunity in mind, we, as Catholics, must come to the conclusion that the war in Iraq is unjust.

It is painfully obvious, in light of Catholic social teaching, that the war in Iraq is not just; nor is it morally acceptable. As informed Catholics, we need to extend our voices into the political sphere, help to end the war and to invest our time, talent and treasure into the restoration of peace.

MOLLY POWERS-ARANDA

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana

Women Pay the Price

Many thanks to Daniel Kuebler, Ph.D. for watching out for American women (“For Girls Only: The Steroids Double Standard,” Nov. 27- Dec. 3).

As one watches such social policies develop as those mentioned in this commentary, one cannot help but feel that women are being abused and sacrificed in the name of “women's rights,” which is just parlance for “sexual liberation.” It becomes more obvious that, at the heart of every issue, you have belief in God's plan in a pitched battle against the belief of uncompromising pursuit of pleasure.

It is truly ironic that, while society shields young boys from destroying their bodies, young girls are taught to wreck themselves in secret so that society can somehow, in its mind, justify contraception and the lifestyle that the use of such drugs is supposed to make possible.

There goes America.

MARK HENDERSON

Central Texas

----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Opinion -------- TITLE: National Media Watch DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

ACLU Defends Catholic In Rehab Program

DETROIT NEWS, Dec. 6 — The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a federal lawsuit in Detroit on behalf of a man who was sentenced to attend a faith-based Pentecostal drug rehabilitation program, reported the Detroit News. The suit claims that the program did not provide drug treatment or counseling but was trying to prevent the man from practicing his Catholic faith.

When Joseph Hanas pleaded guilty to marijuana possession in February 2001, a judge placed the 19-year-old in the state-sponsored Inner City Christian Outreach Residential Program, which is run by a Pentecostal Church. Hanas said his rosary and prayer book were taken from him and Catholicism was denounced as witchcraft. He said he was told the only way to avoid prison time and a felony record was to convert to Pentecostalism.

While the judge acknowledged the failings of the center, he ruled that Hanas did not complete the program and sentenced him to additional jail time.

Kary Moss, director of the Michigan ACLU, said, “This man was punished for insisting on the right to practice Catholicism and refusing conversion to the Pentecostal faith.”

Indiana Lawmaker Defends Using Name of Jesus

ASSOCIATED PRESS, Dec. 1 — Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma is trying to overturn a federal ruling that says that opening prayers in the House of Representatives may not mention Jesus Christ, said the Associated Press.

Bosma, a Republican, has asked the Indiana attorney general's office to investigate the possibility of overturning the decision.

In a case brought by the Indiana Civil Liberties Union, Judge David Hamilton of the Southern District of Indiana issued an injunction preventing sectarian prayer as part of the official business of the House. While legislative prayers can continue, Hamilton said, Bosma must advise those praying that they are not to advance one faith or to use Christ's name or title.

“If it stands, this will be the farthest-reaching decision, to my knowledge, of any federal court specifically focusing on the name Christ and removing that from public discourse,” Bosma said. “I question how soon it will be when my ability to stand here and say the name just in discussion on the floor of the House will be taken away as well.”

Governor Decides Not to Exempt Catholic Hospitals

BOSTON GLOBE, Dec. 8 — Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney had initially endorsed a proposal exempting Catholic and other private hospitals from a new law requiring the dispensing of “emergency contraception” to rape victims. But the governor withdrew his support.

The proposal was put forth by Romney's public health commissioner, Paul Cote Jr., w ho said the new law conflicted with an older statute barring the state from forcing private hospitals from dispensing contraceptives or information.

But the governor said at a news conference Dec. 8 that his legal advisers found the new law superseded the old one and that all hospitals are required to offer the so-called “morning after” pill.

Romney said that in his view, “it's the right thing for hospitals to provide information and access to emergency contraception to anyone who is a victim of rape.”

“Emergency contraception” works both to prevent a human egg from being fertilized, but also can act as an abortifacient if that has already happened.

----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Major Anglican Group Prepares for Full Communion With Rome DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

VATICAN CITY — As the Anglican Communion threatens to break up, one large group of Anglicans is blazing a trail to Rome, and another could follow suit.

The Traditional Anglican Communion, an autonomous group of 400,000 clergy and laity separate from the Anglican Communion, has drawn up detailed plans on how to come into full communion with the Holy See.

After 12 years of consultations, both internally and informally with the Vatican, the group — with the help of a Catholic layman — is preparing a “Pastoral Plan” asking the Vatican for an “Anglican Rite Church” that would preserve their Anglican heritage while allowing them to be “visibly united” with Rome.

The Traditional Anglican Communion's worldwide primate, Archbishop John Hepworth, hopes the group's College of Bishops will approve the plan at a possible Rome synod in February 2006. The church's members are so far reported to be unanimous in their desire for full communion.

If formally agreed, the proposal would then be presented to Vatican officials. If Rome approves, the Traditional Anglican Communion, a worldwide ecclesial body based in Australia, would become the largest Anglican assembly to return to the Church since the Reformation.

In a statement released earlier this year, Archbishop Hepworth, a former Catholic priest, said the denomination had “no doctrinal differences with Rome” that impede full communion. “My broad vision is to see the end of the Reformation of the 16th century,” he said.

The denomination has pursued unity with Rome since the Anglicans started ordaining women as priests, a move that, Archbishop Hepworth says, was the “ultimate of schismatic acts” and irrevocably “fractured” the 1966 Common Declaration between Rome and Canterbury. The historic agreement, made between Pope Paul VI and then-Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey, obliged both communions to work towards unity through serious dialogue.

Vatican Caution

During recent informal talks, Vatican officials advised TAC to grow in numbers, become better known by forming friendships with local Catholic clergy and laity, and build structures through which they can dialogue with other churches.

“We've now done that,” Archbishop Hepworth said. “By next year's synod, our conscience will have brought us to a certain point — it will then be for the Holy See to decide what to do.”

Meanwhile, the Catholic bishops of England and Wales have warned the Church of England that going ahead with women bishops risks destabilizing both the Church of England and the whole Anglican Communion. In a report, the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales referred to “tremendous and intolerable ecclesiological risk” involved in ordaining women bishops.

The Church of England is considering whether to allow women to become bishops, with a debate expected at its general synod in February. Ordaining women as bishops is particularly contentious for those opposed to women priests as they would be unable to recognize or accept the authority of all priests, male or female, who were ordained by female bishops.

For Forward in Faith, a worldwide association of Anglicans who remain part of the Anglican Communion but are unable to accept the female ordinations, the situation is somewhat different than that of the Traditional Anglican Communion. They remain committed to being Anglicans, so communion with Rome “is not on the agenda,” according to Stephen Parkinson, director of Forward in Faith in the United Kingdom.

However, the group is sympathetic to the Traditional Anglican Communion and is likely to move closer to that denomination's position if women are ordained bishops in England and Wales. Currently, Forward in Faith-UK is negotiating with the Church of England for a “structural solution” that would enable its members to belong to a separate province within the Anglican Communion should the church decide to consecrate women as bishops.

But greater independence for Forward in Faith members might open the way for the group to move unilaterally towards Rome. “We could then pursue our own agenda,” said Parkinson. “Ecumenism could then become an imperative for us.”

Not If But When?

The Vatican is monitoring the current problems besetting the Anglican Communion. Not only do the communion's member churches have divisions over ordaining women as bishops, but Anglicans continue to be torn apart by the consecration in 2003 of Gene Robinson, the openly homosexual Episcopalian bishop of New Hampshire.

At a Church of England synod in London in November, Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, was strongly criticized by nearly half the church's presiding archbishops over the issue of homosexual clergy. In the same week, the archbishop of Nigeria, Peter Akinola, announced that he was aligning the country's 17 million Anglicans with the breakaway United States Episcopal churches. His church has already severed constitutional ties with the Church of England over Robinson's consecration.

For Anglicans like Archbishop Hepworth and Parkinson, it is a question of not if but when the Anglican Communion will fracture. But even if they're right, the Vatican is not inclined to work out precise plans for receiving large groups of Anglicans. Each case is likely to be different, which precludes forward planning.

The Vatican is, however, understood to be urging those groups wishing to come into communion with it to demonstrate they are comfortable with Church teaching, and that they aren't motivated solely by disillusionment with the Anglican Communion.

The two departments responsible for group conversions, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, are keeping a low profile for now. Cardinal Walter Kasper, the president of the Council for Promoting Christian Unity, has been focusing on issues that unite the churches and urging Anglicans to strengthen bonds that unify the communion, particularly those surrounding the Anglican Communion's traditional teaching on human sexuality.

In the meantime, both Rome and the estranged Anglicans are waiting to see what the Anglican hierarchy does and how national Anglican churches and individual Anglicans respond.

“If many come over to Rome at the same time, then they're still all treated as individual conversions,” said Dominican Father Charles Morerod, a member of the Anglican/Catholic International Commission. “But it's different if a whole province wants to come into communion.”

Religion News Service contributed to this report.

Edward Pentin writes from Rome

----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Edward Pentin ----- KEYWORDS: Vatican -------- TITLE: A Guide to the Next Life Reflects on a "New Interest" in Heaven DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

Anthony DeStefano is not only executive director of Priests for Life, but he's also the best-selling author of A Travel Guide to Heaven. Since the book was published late in 2003, it has sold upwards of one million copies around the world and has been endorsed by Protestants as well as Catholics.

When the Barbara Walters special “Heaven — Where Is It? How Do We Get There?” airs on ABC Dec. 20, DeStefano will be among the diverse guests discussing their views of heaven.

He spoke with Joseph Pronechen from his home in New York.

Why the new interest in heaven by so many?

I don't really know. One thing that's certain is that it's pretty hard to live in denial about the ultimate questions of life and death in a post-9/11 world. When you're able to sit in front of your television set and watch 3,000 people die in a matter of seconds, it can make the most lukewarm agnostics think about heaven. But beyond that, I think it's simply a case of our Godless culture failing to satisfy the deepest needs and desires of our hearts. People everywhere, no matter what their faith tradition, are searching for something else. Secularism, like communism, is just a bankrupt philosophy, and we're beginning to see some of the fallout.

How did you get involved with the Barbara Walters special?

The producer of the special heard about my book through my agent, Peter Miller. Then, after we spoke a few times, he told me that Barbara had read my book and made extensive notations in it. I was interviewed by both her and her producer for about 45 minutes. I also introduced Barbara's producer to several bishops, priests and theologians at the Vatican, and he subsequently consulted with them.

When you first wrote the book, did you ever think you'd be talking one day about heaven on national TV?

I really didn't. In the back of my mind I felt there was a possibility the book could be popular because heaven is such a universal subject. But I was a first-time author and it was almost impossible to get the book published. I sent it to 100 agents in New York and 99 rejected it. I never imaged it would be so successful considering how difficult it was to break through the door initially.

The show explores heaven from the perspectives of different religions. How is the Catholic view distinctive?

The Catholic Church has the richest and most developed theology of heaven, bar none. All denominations of Christianity agree that there will be a resurrection, for example, but in the Catholic Church we really focus on the importance of the physical element of that resurrection.

We have Thomas Aquinas and his description of the five attributes of glorified, risen bodies. We have doctrines such as the Assumption of Mary, which confirm the fact that we will have real bodies in heaven. We have the sacraments as well as sacramentals, all of which serve to demonstrate the importance God places on the physical and the material. Our theology is just so much more developed in this whole area.

The show includes near-death experiences. Are these helpful or not to our understanding of heaven?

Yes and no. The Church doesn't say definitively that all near-death experiences are phony. On the contrary, some of them might be very genuine. The point is, who knows which are real and which are counterfeit? Which are actually experiences of grace, and which are just delirious delusions? It's all too subjective. That's why I didn't include any in my book. I stuck to solid, biblically-based theology.

The best advice I can give is to be extremely cautious. If the near-death experience of a person doesn't conflict in any way with what the Church teaches, then there's no reason why it shouldn't be a source of comfort and consolation. I just wouldn't base my faith on it.

Why is thinking about heaven important to the spiritual life?

How are you going to hit your target if you don't have a bull's-eye to aim for? We need to think about heaven because that's our goal; that's our destination. If we don't constantly focus on it, we're just going to wander around and get lost. That's human nature. As they used to say in the civil rights movement, you've got to keep your eyes on the prize. By doing that, you'll never lose your perspective on what's important in life and what's trivial, and even more importantly, you'll always be motivated.

Motivation is key in the spiritual life. You know, the fear of hell and punishment only goes so far. We need the carrot as well as the stick. Father Frank Pavone used to preach in his homilies that if you meditated on heaven for five minutes every day, it would literally transform your life.

Joseph Pronechen writes from Trumbull, Connecticut.

----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Joseph Pronechen ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: A Nation of Commentators DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

Some are nice, some are mean. Some are serious, some are funny. Most are intelligent but a few inane. Some are lengthy, complete with reference cites and links for further reading. Many are pithy.

I'm talking about comments at the bottom of blog posts.

All blogging software provides an optional comments feature that allows readers to write their thoughts about a blogger's posts. Some bloggers turn off the feature. Some keep it, but allow registered users only to comment. Others allow everyone to post, either anonymously or by name.

Some think the comments section — the “combox,” for short — is the spice of blogdom. In the comments, a person will find humor and insight from angles that the blogger never considered. It might be an expert in Latin or Italian providing a translation, a lawyer with a legal angle or a doctor with a medical analysis. You just never know who's going to stop by and weigh in. Sure, there are inanities, but, overall, the quality of comments in the Catholic blogosphere is high.

That's not to say that comments always work well. Comboxes require constant monitoring, either by the blogger or a friend who “has the blogger's back.” Challenging comments come from all sides — from inquiring readers to intelligent heretics to obnoxious “flamers” who want to cause trouble. The blogger must constantly be prepared to engage in an online battle of words, which can be time-consuming and may turn nasty.

Something about the electronic medium tends to embolden people, and a blog's comments section is occasionally the site of sharp exchanges. More than one blogger has shut down his blog shortly after a tiring battle with persistent and argumentative commentators.

There's also the problem of spam. Many Internet sites send worms to a blog's combox and leave generic comments (“Great post, sir!”), along with a link, in hopes of driving traffic to their site. It's not unusual for some blogs to get more spam than real comments.

If you're interested in reading a blog with excellent and informative combox discussions, go to Open Book (amywelborn.typepad.com/openbook), the blog of author Amy Welborn. Along with Welborn's incisive analysis, you'll find worthwhile perspectives from scores of commentators — Catholic writers, clergy and ordinary laypersons who are devoted to the Church and well-versed in its teachings.

Also recommended for their smart content and lively comboxes: Dawn Eden's The Dawn Patrol (dawneden.com/blogger.html), Jeff Miller's The Curt Jester (splendoroftruth.com/curtjester) and Mark Shea's Catholic and Enjoying It! (markshea.blogspot.com).

Feel Free to Flag

One hundred thousand new blogs go on-line every day — a new one every second. I can't blanket even just the Catholic region of the realm, so I invite reader recommendations (ejscheske@yahoo.com). Please make sure the blog you recommend has been around at least one month and adds content regularly.

Don't throw rocks at me if your recommendation doesn't make it into this column. I have 900 words a month and probably 900 blogs worth visiting. You do the math. I will, however, feature at least one reader recommendation in every column.

Counting Catholics

Ever wondered how many Catholic blogs are out there? I have, and I've made this determination: No one knows.

John Mark Reynolds, the organizer of the first religious-blogger convention, GodblogCon (godblogcon.com), told the journal First Things (firstthings.com) that there are “literally millions” of religious bloggers, but that “if you're talking about people who write for folk other than their immediate church family and their immediate community, there are a couple of thousand serious Godblogs.”

That strikes me as a fair approximation. But how many of them are serious Catholic Godblogs?

It's nearly impossible to say, but a hand-count of Catholic blogs at the former clearinghouse of Catholic blogging, St. Blog's Parish, shows approximately 250 blogs. The thing is, the list is outdated by at least a year — and even last year it didn't contain many Catholic blogs. Since 2004, the total number of blogs worldwide has quadrupled. If Catholic blogs kept pace, they, too, have quadrupled, which means there are at least a thousand.

Such an approach isn't terribly scientific, but I doubt more reliable figures are going to be available for a long time. It's hard to pin down a target that morphs at lightning speed.

Ten-Gallon Blog

Don't be misled by his goofy cowboy hat that he displays on the front page: Jimmy Akin (jimmyakin.org) isn't a doofus. In fact, of the couple of thousand serious Godblogs on the 'Net, his is one of the best.

Akin knows varying degrees of Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic, Spanish, Indonesian and American Sign Language (though the last one doesn't translate well on-line). He's learned in Church teaching and he's got a wonderful sense of humor.

Akin told me of his blog: “It's a place where I answer people's questions about the faith, engage in discussions and generally talk about whatever I find interesting. Fortunately, I find a lot of things interesting, so it's rather topically diverse.” Frequent points of discussion include theology, canon law, biblical interpretation, history, travel, current events, movies, books, TV, music, science, technology and humor.

You might also get a guest blogger, which is rare in the blogosphere, but neat. When the blogger is on vacation or otherwise indisposed, the guest blogger makes sure readers have something new to read every day. Akin's guest bloggers have included Catholic Answers’ Michelle Arnold and Register film critic Steve Greydanus. Akin has also written for Greydanus’ Decent Films website (decentfilms.com), which I believe to be the best Catholic resource for movie reviews on the Web.

Akin's site was named “Best Apologetics Blog 2005” by the Catholic Blog Awards, and with good reason. He defends the Church from insiders, outsiders and those with one foot in and one foot out. When the Church officially issued its controversial directive about homosexually inclined men in the priesthood, Akin penned a compassionate 1,100-word response to a reader with homosexual tendencies who wrote to ask advice about what the directive means.

And to return to the opening section of this column: Akin's blog also gets a lot of high-caliber commentary. Check it out.

See you again next month.

Eric Scheske's blog is

The Daily Eudemon:

ericscheske.com/blog.

----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Eric Scheske ----- KEYWORDS: Arts -------- TITLE: The Gospel According to Steve Martin DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

It's Christmas, that joyous time of year when the mainstream media goes in search of apostate scholars to re-assure them that the Gospel is all a bunch of hooey.

Here's a recent piece that appeared on MSNBC.com called “What Is the Real Christmas Story?” It's a roundtable discussion featuring a number of biblical scholars that looks at the tale of the Nativity as told by Matthew and Luke.

In the course of it, the conversation turns to the matter of the worldwide “census” that Luke reports in his Gospel:

“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria” (Luke 2:1-2).

One of the first people out of the gate to render a verdict on this particular passage is John Dominic Crossan, a biblical scholar and former priest at DePaul University who also gets trotted out by the mainstream media during that other joyous season, Easter, to assure us that the body of Jesus was eaten by wild dogs. Crossan, who is, like Buzz Lightyear, always sure, declares emphatically: “Luke tells us the story that at the time Jesus was born Augustus had to create a census of the whole earth. Now every scholar can tell you there was no such census ever.”

Let us pause and think about this dogmatic article of the Crossan creed for a moment. The Gospels are, in large part, a work of pious fiction according to Crossan. The resurrection never occurred. It's just a comforting tale early believers came up with to deal with the loss of Christ. The portrayal of Jesus as born at Bethlehem is something the Gospel writers have to concoct in order to identify Jesus with the Messiah. And so, to get him there, Luke tells the story — of a worldwide taxation enrollment.

I drum my fingers on the table top and reminisce. Comedian Steve Martin used to do a routine in which he smiled broadly with that distinct smile of his and said, “Remember a couple of years back when the earth (wry pause) … exploded? Remember how they built that giant space ark and loaded all of humanity into it, but the government decided not to tell the stupid people what was going on so that they wouldn't panic….” The light of understanding would then break across his face as he surveyed the faces of the audience and he would quickly backtrack saying, “Oooooooh! Uh…. Never mind!”

I can't help but think of that as I read Crossan's take on Luke. We are being asked to believe that the Gospels are works of cunning fiction by people laboring under some huge need to bring others under the spell of their delusion of a risen Christ. Part of their messianic delusion requires them to link the Nazarene carpenter with King David by portraying him as born in “the city of David,” Bethlehem. And so they do what to get Jesus there in time for his birth and debut as the Son of David?

Well, a lot of options are open to the creative Gospel writer whose only goal is to write a tall tale. You could just say that Mary's grandmother took sick and she went to visit her. You could claim that Joseph bought a plot of land and didn't want to leave Mary behind while he went to inspect it. You could cook up an angelic visitation commanding the Holy Family to go to Bethlehem and wait for their son to be born. Any of these stories have the tremendous advantage of being extremely hard to refute decades after the event. And since you've already stuffed your Gospel full of miracles, what's one more angel?

But no. According to Crossan, Luke tells the equivalent of Martin's space ark story: “Remember, a few decades back when the entire world was enrolled for taxation?” He invites, not just somebody to refute it, but everybody in his entire audience. That's an awfully strange thing to do if the enrollment never happened and an awfully odd way to establish the bona fides of your main character.

But, of course, when Crossan tells you that “there was no such census ever,” what he really means is “We have no solid evidence of the census that survives outside the New Testament.” Likewise, we also have no solid evidence of a great deal of the conquest of Gaul outside of one book by Julius Caesar. Yet nobody says that means the conquest never happened. And so the amazing possibility arises that Luke is actually reporting something that happened, which he and his audience both know of, but which is poorly attested outside the New Testament.

Memo to the media: Consider the possibility that biblical authors are not as preposterous as some biblical scholars.

Mark Shea is senior

content editor for

www.CatholicExchange.com.

----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Mark Shea ----- KEYWORDS: Commentary -------- TITLE: In Defense of the Holly Jolly Holiday DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

One sign Christmas is near is the mournful chorus bemoaning its approach. Seen the headlines in supermarket magazines? The decorations, gifts, traditional delicacies, church services, time with loved ones — it's all so stressful, they complain.

Last year, one columnist proclaimed, “The weight of the season is grotesque and it squashes many.” Christmas? Grotesque?

Ladies’ magazines trot out annual tips for slogging through the season: Attend family gatherings if you must, but don't eat anything served (no additional Christmas pounds for you!). Dispense with Christmas cards (send e-mail at a more convenient time). Holiday baking? Don't bother. Buy your goodies and scented candles to mimic that fresh-baked smell. Gift-giving? Pare down your list to the bare essentials, give them all gift certificates and schedule some stress-free alone time.

You deserve it after the year you've had.

When did the Good News become bad news? It's understandable from non-believers, but surprising numbers of Christians get in on the act. I don't know how the world is supposed to rejoice when Christians don't. Our Advent preparation consists largely of complaining about how much there is to prepare.

I prefer what the Register's sister publication, Faith & Family, described on the cover of its Winter issue this year: an “Over-the-Top Christmas.”

Nietzsche famously said the difficult thing was not to have a festival, but to find anyone capable of celebrating it. While hardly the Christian's friend, Nietzsche is unsurpassed as a diagnostician of modernity's troubles. For people without faith, no true celebration is possible, because all festivity is ultimately an affirmation of the goodness of existence. Put another way, celebration takes place within the culture of life. The culture of death literally cannot celebrate, though it may fake it.

In his In Tune with the World, Joseph Pieper reflects on the elements necessary for celebration. They include: a reason to celebrate, sacrifice, time of preparation and tangible expression of the reality celebrated. Let's look at these.

A reason to celebrate. Festivals connect us to an actual event. Pieper notes you can't have a good party about abstract ideas. That's why there's no “Democracy Day,” but there is Independence Day. A feast survives only so long as the participants are attached to the meaning of the feast. When we revered the good example of the father of our country, we celebrated Washington's Birthday. The unofficial change to “Presidents Day” pretty much killed the holiday, because it emptied it of meaning and occasion. Similarly, it is belief in the birth of Jesus and the significance of the incarnation that make Christmas worth celebrating. Generic “season's greetings,” while inoffensive, undermine Christmas because they detach us from the festive occasion.

Sacrifice. A feast day implies a conscious sacrifice of time and the money that could be earned in labor. Festivity means putting aside usual activities in favor of something which, while not useful in the usual sense, is good in itself. Our inability to see “the point” of Christmas celebrations — to feel ourselves put out by “having” to go through with them — reveals at least in part the idea that nothing not strictly “useful” can be worthwhile. This is utilitarianism, not Christianity.

Preparation. The most important element of any feast is something over which we have no control. It is that indescribable “connection” that sweeps us up into the celebration. We can't make it happen; it's purely God's gift. What we can do is prepare ourselves to receive the gift. The Church, ever the wise psychologist, has given us Advent to make our souls fit vessels for the graces to be poured out at Christmas. The more time we take during Advent to pray, to repent, to remember the poor, the more we connect ourselves to the ground of the coming feast, and ensure that if God sends a special grace our way, we won't miss it. “Merry Christmas” is more than a variation on “Hello.” It is a way of wishing the person's Christmas celebration may be successful. “May you be swept up into the joy of the Incarnation.”

Practical expression. This is where the traditional customs that seem to cause such consternation enter in. Decorations and gifts are properly understood as manifestations of an irrepressible joy in our hearts. The coming of Jesus makes us so happy, we want to do something to share the sweet joy with others.

What about commercialism? Of course it is a problem. Every celebration contains within itself the seed of excess, which despoils happiness. We have to practice the virtue of moderation, even on feast days.

But moderation is called for in moderation too!

Is the fact that many people miss the point a reason for Christians to throw out the whole celebration? Embodied spirits need to give joy concrete expression. This is why the carol recommends, “Make your house fair as you are able, trim the hearth and set the table.” When my local merchants put out their Christmas wares, I have no way of knowing if they are manifesting inner delight at the coming of Christ or simply trying to make a buck. I don't much care. If the village atheist's living turns on helping me celebrate the birth of Christ, I have to believe there's a good buried there somewhere.

This season the usual bogeymen are busy suppressing Christmas in the public square. Let's not hasten their success by whining. Fight back. Choose some tradition you love and do it more. If anyone complains of stress, say, “Christ is born. Have another eggnog.”

Rebecca Ryskind Teti is contributing

editor of Faith & Family magazine.

----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Rebecca Ryskind Teti ----- KEYWORDS: Commentary -------- TITLE: Weekly TV Picks DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

SUNDAY, DEC. 18

All-Out Christmas

Home & Garden TV, 9 p.m.

Jesus is the Light of the World, as these displays of Christmas lights should remind us all. Re-airs Dec. 23 at 8 p.m., Dec. 24 at 9 p.m. and Dec. 25 at 9 a.m.

SUNDAY, DEC. 18

Winter Treats Unwrapped

Food Network, 9 p.m.

Candy-cane trees, Yule logs, ribbon candy and pails of popcorn are on the Christmas snack menu tonight, and we also tour a big soup factory.

TUESDAY, DEC. 20

March of the

Wooden Soldiers

Familyland TV, 10:30 a.m.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy defend Toyland from bogeymen in this beloved musical comedy, which made its debut as Babes in Toyland in 1934.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 21

Where Christmas Began

Travel Channel, 6 p.m.

This program helps us follow the travels of the Holy Family and the Wise Men.

THURSDAY, DEC. 22

A Very Ermey Christmas

History Channel, 4 p.m.

Ex-Marine R. Lee “Gunny” Ermey shows us how troops in wartime ever since Valley Forge have marked the birth of the Prince of Peace. Advisory: TV-PG. Re-airs Dec. 23 at 11 p.m.

SATURDAY, DEC. 24

Ultimate Holidaytown USA

A&E, 1 p.m.

Twenty small towns match decorations and festivities in competition for the Holidaytown title.

SAT.-SUN., DEC. 24-25

Christmas With

The Duke All Day

AMC

This marathon of John Wayne films begins with Three Faces West at 6:15 a.m. Saturday and concludes with Rio Grande at 10:15 p.m. Sunday.

SUNDAY, DEC. 25

Christmas Day

EWTN, all day

Highlights include Mass from Irondale, Ala., live at 1 a.m.; the Pope's blessing urbi et orbi, live at 6 a.m.; midnight Mass at St. Peter's, a re-air at 8 a.m.; and Catholic University's Christmas Concert at 8 p.m.

SATURDAY, DEC. 31

U.S. Olympic Team Trials:

Freestyle Skiing

NBC, 2:30 p.m.

Freestyle aerials and moguls are the main events in Steamboat Springs, Colo.

SATURDAY, DEC. 31

Live From Lincoln Center:

New Year's Eve Gala

PBS, 8 p.m.

The New York Philharmonic and Romanian soprano Angela Gheorgiu perform the “Ave Maria” from Mascagni's “Cavalleria Rusticana,” as well as works by Puccini, Rossini, Verdi and others.

Dan Engler writes from Santa Barbara, California.

----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Dan Engler ----- KEYWORDS: Arts -------- TITLE: Vatican Media Watch DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

Italian Political Parties Endorse “Baby Bonus'

ASSOCIATED PRESS, Dec. 4 — Opposing political parties in Italy have supported giving cash benefits to women during pregnancy or after birth — widely seen as a way of encouraging women not to have abortions, Associated Press reported.

The opposition Margherita party is proposing a 2006 budget amendment that would have the government pay $295 a month — starting from the sixth month of pregnancy until birth — to housewives, unemployed women or women who do not have maternity benefits and whose total household income is less than $47,000. For single women earning less than $29,400 a year, the payment would be $412 a month starting with the third month of pregnancy.

The party came forward with its plan — which on Dec. 2 reached committee level in the Chamber of Deputies — in response to a government budget proposal to pay a bonus to women who give birth. The opposition saw this as a way of the government currying support from the Church.

While the idea of a baby-bonus is not new in Italy, a country with one of the lowest birth rates in Europe, tying it to an anti-abortion initiative is.

This comes on the heels of Pope Benedict's recent denouncement of the killing of the unborn and the use of the so-called “morning-after pill.” In a speech in early December to Latin American bishops, the Pope said, “It is necessary to help all people to gain awareness of the intrinsic evil of the crime of abortion,” he said. He also appeared to be referring to the RU-486 abortion pill when he denounced “facilitating the elimination of the embryo.”

Pope Times Poland Visit to Avoid Soccer Frenzy

NEWKERALA.COM, Dec. 7 — Pope Benedict is likely to visit Poland next May to avoid soccer frenzy, sure to be associated with the June 9 kick-off of the World Cup in neighboring Germany, the wire service reported.

Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, former longtime secretary to Pope John Paul II, said “it would be better for the pilgrimage not to take place at the same time as the World Cup,” and that a final decision of the date of the Holy Father's visit was expected soon.

The Polish media reported earlier that Pope Benedict was likely to honor Holocaust victims with a visit to the former Nazi death camp at Auschwitz.

Pope and Palestinian Discuss Middle East Peace

ASSOCIATED PRESS, Dec. 3 — Pope Benedict XVI met with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and stressed the need to integrate all Palestinians in the peace process, the Vatican said — an apparent reference to extremist elements blamed for recent violence, according to the Associated Press.

Violence marred primary elections across the Palestinian territories, but Abbas told reporters Dec. 3 that he was working to “bring calm” to the region. Abbas also said that Pope Benedict with his “symbolic weight … can carry out a decisive role for peace” between Israel and the Palestinians.

At the end of their private 20-minute meeting in Benedict's library, Abbas invited the Pope to visit the Holy Land, saying he would “be very welcome in Jerusalem and all the Holy Places.” Pope Benedict thanked him for the invitation.

“I asked for his support and help in easing the difficult problems that the Palestinian people suffer,” Abbas said. His visit to the Vatican was his last major appointment in a three-day visit to Italy.

----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Vatican -------- TITLE: Video Picks & Passes DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE (2005): PICK

THE GREAT RAID: PICK

(2005)

MUPPET MOVIES: KERMIT'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITIONS: PICK

CONTENT ADVISORY: The Exorcism of Emily Rose contains intense disturbing phenomena and imagery. The Great Raid contains intense war violence, including torture and execution, and objectionable language, including profanity, crass language and sexual references. Both films are mature viewing. The Muppet movies are generally fine family viewing.

Do the voices whispering in someone's head come from his own subconscious, or from somewhere else? Does a patient's aversion to religious objects point to satanic influence, or is it merely obsessive-compulsive behavior with a religious bent? Writer-director Scott Derrickson raises questions rather than supplying answers. Inspired by a true story of Anneliese Michel, a Bavarian girl who died in the 1970s after almost a year of exorcism, The Exorcism of Emily Rose is a study in opposing worldviews. It doesn't so much affirm the existence of God or the devil as insist on the importance of the question whether God (and the devil) exist.

This confrontation of worldviews takes the form of a courtroom drama structured around the trial of Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson), who administered the failed exorcism. The drama of the philosophical divide is heightened by the juxtaposition of a reluctant, skeptical defense attorney and a determined, churchgoing prosecutor. The courtroom drama offers some good moments and Emily's story, though limited to flashbacks, is genuinely chilling. The film is aided by effective performances from most of the principals. Unfortunately, it also makes some mistakes, such as reducing the DA to a one-note jerk.

Emily Rose is a worthwhile story for the issues it explores, though I find it ultimately tragic rather than inspiring. The exorcism failed. The girl died. The priest was indicted. Perhaps there is a moral triumph here somewhere, but it doesn't help me. Alas, life is like that sometimes.

Also based on a true story — and perhaps a more unambiguously inspiring one — John Dahl's unabashedly patriotic war movie The Great Raid celebrates the story of one of the most successful rescue missions of all time. Late in World War II, the Japanese war ministry issued a “kill all” policy for prisoners in POW camps, intending to eradicate evidence of atrocities before the arrival of Allied forces in the Philippines. This directive was tragically carried out on the 150 Allied POWs in the Palawan camp, who were doused in gasoline and burned alive.

However, things went differently for the more than 500 prisoners in the Cabanatuan camp near Manila, where, in January 1945, a small force of Rangers and Alamo scouts, together with Filipino resistance fighters, went 30 miles behind Japanese lines to attack the camp and rescue the prisoners. To call the raid a brilliant success would be an understatement. The film tells the story of the raid more or less as it actually happened, in a low-key style that's as much a throwback to the WWII films of the 1940s as a tribute to the soldiers it honors.

The screenplay makes some pedestrian choices — a clichéd love affair does little credit to the real-life heroism of an American war widow who helped smuggle medicine and information to Allied POWs — but unshowy performances feel true to the businesslike heroism of Greatest Generation warriors.

Finally, in honor of 50 years of Kermit the Frog, new DVD editions of four of the best Muppet movies — The Muppet Movie and sequels The Great Muppet Caper, Muppet Treasure Island and The Muppet Christmas Carol — are worth picking up. (Avoid inferior recent Muppet sequels, including A Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie and The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz.)

----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Steven D. Greydanus ----- KEYWORDS: Arts -------- TITLE: The Bad News About "Good Divorce" DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

Elizabeth Marquardt is an adult child of divorced parents.

In her new book, Between Two Worlds: The Inner Lives of Children of Divorce, she sets out to present a corrective to all the “happy talk” books and research written by and for divorced parents to make them feel better about the kids. It is based on a survey by sociologist Norval Glenn of 1,500 adult children from both intact marriages and so-called “good divorces” and 70 in-depth interviews by Marquardt.

Marquardt, a scholar with the Institute for American Values, a wife and mother, spoke with Register correspondent Steve Weatherbe about the immediate pain and lasting impact of growing up in the aftermath of a “good divorce” — and what churches can do about it.

What is the main finding of your study?

The point is that, when parents divorce, the tough job of making sense of their two worlds — that's the hard job of marriage — doesn't go away. Instead, the job gets handed to the child alone. So it's no longer the parents’ job to rub the sharp edges of their worlds together. Instead the sharp edges of their worlds rub together only within the inner life of the child. And because this is never acknowledged or talked about, the child has no support or recognition for what they have to do. When they are not up to the job and can't get with the program, they figure they have only themselves to blame.

Are children of divorce more likely to get divorced?

The divorce rate for first marriages is 43% and for remarriages it is 60%. But the divorce rate for children of divorce in their first marriage is about 60%. And I hate it. I've been married for nine years and I hate that statistic.

Can we do anything to reduce the divorce rate?

I think that all of us, whether we're from divorced marriages or not, can do a lot to strengthen our marriages by learning about what marriage is: It's a lot more than just being happy every day and having a personally fulfilling relationship that satisfies you in all ways as an individual. Marriages go in cycles and sometimes some are bad; there are normal periods of conflict.

What can the Church do for these people they lost in their childhood?

Two thirds of the children from families that were active in church at the time of the divorce say no one reached out to them at the time of the divorce. That finding alone is a huge challenge to churches. It shows that churches have been overlooking these children and there's lots of room for improvement.

How does divorce impact the spiritual lives of children?

For one thing, children of divorce are much less likely to be religious. We want to be spiritual as much as those from intact families but much less tied to organized religion. But some become more religious as a result of their parents’ divorce, and those who are religious are more likely to be evangelical. And I think this is a real wakeup call to mainline Protestant churches that are losing people actively. They need to ask themselves why.

And do you have any thoughts?

I think the part of the theology of evangelical churches that emphasizes the salvific role of God the Father works for children of divorce who feel that God became the father or parent they never had. Some 38% say they perceive God as the parent they never had, versus 22% of those from intact families.

What impact do you hope your book will have?

I really think of my book as having three audiences:

First, grown children of divorce and the people who care for them and minister to them.

The second audience I think of as married parents who may be considering divorce, and I think my book gives a good picture of life on the other side and what that marriage does for their child and I've already heard about it changing a few people's minds about getting a divorce.

And the third audience is divorced parents, and I think it is going to be a very hard book for them to read. I sympathize with that. It's not my intention to make them feel guilty. But I think it would be a useful book for them because it helps them understand why, even if they had a so-called good divorce, their children still seem burdened.

Are “good divorce” books giving good advice about minimizing the pain for children?

Certainly the idea that, after the divorce, it's good for the parents to minimize conflict and stay involved in the child's life — which is the basic premise of the “good divorce” — is good advice. Beyond that, the “good-divorce” advice is generally pretty damaging. The biggest damage it does is that it misleads parents into thinking they can end their “good-enough” marriage and still do right by their children.

The other thing is that the “good-divorce” books, particularly those written for children, have this glib assumption that, if you just acknowledge the pain of divorce out loud, you will make it all okay.

It seems that you are challenging Americans to do a very big, unselfish thing, one that runs counter to the spirit of the age, the primacy of individual fulfillment.

It certainly does. It really speaks to the problems of the age as well. You know, in the 21st-century globalized economy, you are supposed to be ready to move at a moment's notice to satisfy an employer. Our family lives are atomized; our relationships are atomized in the spirit of global markets and the movement of capital. I think you don't have to talk to people for long to realize that it's spiritually empty and, in the face of all that, a lasting marriage is a pretty radical idea.

Pairing up with someone for life, for good and bad — having children together who rise from both of you to adulthood and sticking it out no matter what — is a pretty radical idea. So I agree it goes against the spirit of the age, but a lot of people are unhappy with the spirit of the age. The messages we have to give them about marriage, certainly in church, can be pretty appealing. People are dying to hear them.

Steve Weatherbe writes from

Victoria, British Columbia.

Information

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS:

THE INNER LIVES OF CHILDREN OF DIVORCE

by Elizabeth Marquardt

Crown Publishing, 2005

288 pages, $24.95

Available in bookstores

----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Steve Weatherbe ----- KEYWORDS: Education -------- TITLE: Catholic Charities Embroiled In Scandal DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

SAN FRANCISCO — Dawn Stefanowicz understands why people want to condone homosexual adoption.

She also says she knows why they shouldn't.

She spoke out as San Francisco Catholic Charities admitted to placing children with homosexual couples, even as a Vatican representative reportedly has urged a halt to the practice in Boston.

Stefanowicz was raised by a homosexual couple with, in her words, “the appearance of long-term monogamy but actually with multiple sexual relationships.”

She doesn't understand why the Boston and San Francisco archdioceses don't simply stop the practice.

Catholic Charities CYO in San Francisco, which serves the northern California counties of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin, told the Register Dec. 5 that the agency has placed five children out of 138 with same sex-couples.

That's even more than reported last month by the Advocate, a national homosexual magazine, which said the organization had placed three children out of 136 with same-sex couples since 2000.

Maury Healy, spokesman for the Archdiocese of San Francisco, said the controversy highlighted “two compelling interests.” The first: the Church's “responsibility to promote and protect the dignity of marriage.” The second “is a desire to find caring homes for hard-to-place children. The most significant challenge in adoption today is the placement of special-needs children, many of whom languish in foster care.”

But Stefanowicz, who is writing an autobiography, said that being raised in a household with many transitory adult relationships on display wasn't an appropriate alternative. The experience left her with the belief that “relationships are disposable. People could just be dropped for whatever reason. Sex is gratuitous and connected to nothing.”

Healy went on to say that while “San Francisco Catholic Charities works predominantly with married couples in placing children for adoption,” a few exceptions have been made to place “the hard-to-place child.” Also, “the agency's state license prohibits it from discriminating against any prospective parent because of sexual orientation.”

But homosexual couples are inherently unstable, said Stefanowicz. “The last thing a kid who has been in foster care needs is to be placed in an unstable home.”

News reports suggest that the Vatican wants to protect people like Stefanowicz.

The Boston Herald reported Dec. 7 that a letter from the Vatican embassy in Washington, D.C., urged Archbishop Sean O'Malley of Boston to stop Catholic Charities in the archdiocese from facilitating adoptions unless homosexual couples are excluded. The newspaper cited an anonymous source. If the report is true, the papal nuncio, Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, could have been reacting to a flurry of news media coverage in October about Boston Catholic Charities’ practices.

At that time, the Boston organization's president, Father Bryan Hehir, said that “it is never a good fit” to place children in homosexual homes but if Boston Catholic Charities lost the government contract it would be unable to perform its many other services funded by the state.

Neither the papal nuncio nor the Archdiocese of Boston would confirm the report. All an unnamed spokesman for the archdiocese would admit was that the matter of same-sex adoption was under review.

Sister Mary Ann Walsh, spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the conference “had no policy on this issue. We leave it up to the charities.”

However, the Church's position has been explicit since the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's 2003 declaration that same-sex adoptions “mean doing violence to these children, in the sense that their condition of dependency would be used to place them in an environment that is not conducive to their full human development.”

Science, when freed from the pressures of political correctness, agrees, said A. Dean Byrd, chairman of the scientific advisory committee to the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality. He is a clinical psychologist and a professor of medicine at Brigham Young University and the University of Utah.

“It is the best interests of the child and not the civil rights of the parents that ought to come first,” said Byrd, who consulted for an adoption agency for 27 years. “And what is in the best interests of the child is to have two, married parents of different genders.”

Research indicates that fathers and mothers parent differently and impart different, complementary values: “Women provide nurturing and love; fathers teach objectivity and independence,” said Byrd. Research into lesbian parents indicates “their daughters grow up acting like boys, including being more sexually adventurous; the boys act more like girls” than boys raised by heterosexuals. Moreover, male homosexual relationships are unstable compared with heterosexual marriages. “The average homosexual relationship lasts 18 months,” said Byrd, “and has eight partners outside the relationship.”

Steve Weatherbe is based in Victoria, British Columbia.

----- EXCERPT: 'Unstable' Adoptions on Both Coasts ----- EXTENDED BODY: Steve Weatherbe ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Canadian Knights of Columbus Okay to Reject Inappropriate Parties DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Knights of Columbus have the right to be selective about the use of their catering hall, a Canadian human rights tribunal has affirmed.

But the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal nonetheless required the Knights to pay two lesbians $865 each for “injury to dignity, feelings and self respect,” and $385 for expenses incurred in changing halls.

“I have mixed feelings about the ruling,” said Terry Kidwell, past state secretary of the British Columbia and Yukon Knights of Columbus. He is a member of Our Lady of the Assumption council, which operates the disputed hall in Port Coquitlam, part of Greater Vancouver. “It's contradictory. It says we had every right to refuse them the hall. On the other hand we could have done more to accommodate them.”

The Knights’ lawyer, George Macintosh, said the requirement to pay compensation was “a mistake in law.” Under the province's human rights law, “once the tribunal decided the Knights were justified, it had no jurisdiction to rule further,” he said.

Nonetheless, added Macintosh, while no new legal ground had been broken it was still a good thing that a tribunal generally regarded as favoring homosexual plaintiffs had come out in this case upholding religious rights.

The tribunal stated that its task was to find a “delicate balance” between two equal rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom: religious freedom and the rights of sexual minorities. Quoting from an earlier ruling it said, “One cannot trump the other. The equality rights of same-sex couples do not displace the rights of religious groups to refuse to solemnize same-sex marriages which do not accord with their religious beliefs. Similarly the rights of religious groups to freely practice their religion cannot oust the rights of same-sex couples seeking equality.”

Nonetheless, after 22 closely-reasoned pages, the tribunal did decide that while the two lesbians, Deborah Chymyshyn and Tracey Smith, easily could and did find another hall, the Knights of Columbus would have had a tougher time finding a new religion. “The Panel accepts that … the Hall could only be rented and/or used for events that would not undermine the Knights’ relationship with the Catholic Church.” It then took 21 more pages to explain why the Knights owed the two women compensation.

The brouhaha began simply enough last summer, when the couple saw the hall beside (but separated by a fence from) a Catholic school and church. It was close to the lake where they planned to “wed” and bore a “for rent” sign in a window. The women arranged for a viewing, during which they failed to notice the cross at the hall's front and the pictures of various Knights of Columbus, popes and priests on the wall. Only later did they realize the renters were Catholic. They were interested only in the kitchen and availability of plates, chairs and tables. The woman showing them the space assumed the reception was for one of the pair, while the other was a helpful friend or perhaps the mother.

Only after the contract was signed and the invitations mailed out did word reach the Knights, who operate the hall for the parish and for the Archdiocese of Vancouver, that they were hosting a lesbian “wedding” reception. This news fell like a bombshell, coming as it did in the middle of a national debate over a bill before the Canadian parliament to legalize same-sex “marriages” (though several provinces, including British Columbia, were already permitting them).

The Knights quickly called the women, apologized, and explained that as a Catholic organization they could not go forward. They returned the rental fee, and when asked to reimburse the women their additional expenses, agreed to that too, but requested what Kidwell called “a standard release form.”

But this legally imposing document intimidated the women, who called a lawyer. Ultimately the matter ended up in the hands of lesbian rights advocate Barbara Findlay.

British Columbia human rights procedure calls for mediation, but what Findlay wanted was not only the modest financial compensation, but, according to Kidwell, “half-page or full-page advertisements in national newspapers in which we apologized and admitted that the Catholic Church is wrong in what it teaches about same-sex “marriage.’”

In finally finding that the Knights were justified in refusing the women but ought to have been nicer about it, the tribunal relied on several recent judgments based on the principle that religious rights offer more protection over activities the closer they come to the heart of the religion's core beliefs. A Catholic school was justified in firing a teacher who married a divorced man because teachers are supposed to model the values that the school teaches. However, a Christian printer could not refuse to print flyers for homosexual groups because printing presses have very little to do with Christian teachings.

New Protocol

In ordering the Knights to pay compensation, the tribunal found the organization had failed in its “duty to accommodate” the women to a degree just short of “undue hardship.” While it had apologized on the telephone, it might have arranged a face-to-face meeting and apologized formally and in writing, the tribunal suggested. And it might have helped the women find a new hall.

“They found a hall themselves the very next day so we didn't have time,” commented Kidwell.

Findlay said the main issue was that the hall was a public facility being rented to all and should not therefore be denied for religious reasons. She pronounced herself and her clients “jubilant” over the award, but also told news media that, “For gay and lesbian people, we are going to need to study the judgment in detail. It certainly appears that if the Knights of Columbus had found them another hall, the tribunal would have agreed that they could refuse the rental to my clients. So one way of characterizing it is we won the battle but lost the war.”

Kidwell termed the whole affair “a huge misunderstanding that reasonable people should have been able to resolve without going to court.” The Knights’ final legal bill was $90,000.

The British Columbia and Yukon Knights have prepared a model rental agreement and circulated it to the home office in New Haven, Conn., along with a protocol for presenting it. The agreement warns would-be renters that the organization will refuse to rent for activities that run counter to Catholic teaching.

Steve Weatherbe writes from Victoria,

British Columbia.

----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Steve Weatherbe ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: God Defends The Weak DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

Register Summary

Pope Benedict continued his series of teachings on the psalms and canticles of the Liturgy of the Hours during his general audience on Dec. 7. Addressing more than 20,000 pilgrims in St. Peter's Square, he spoke about Psalm 138, a song of thanksgiving that Jewish tradition attributes to King David.

The psalm begins and ends on a very personal note, the Holy Father pointed out.

“He sings before God, who is in the heavens with his host of angels, but who also listens within the earthly confines of his Temple,” Pope Benedict said. Despite trials and tribulations, the psalmist is confident that the ever faithful God will hear him: “The psalmist is certain that the “name’ of the Lord — in other words his personal, living and active reality — as well as his virtues of faithfulness and mercy, signs of his covenant with his people, are the basis of all faith and hope.”

What began as the psalmist's personal prayer becomes a song of praise from “all the kings of the earth,” giving glory to God who looks upon the lowly and comes to the aid of the oppressed.

“God has chosen, therefore, to defend the weak, the victims, the least among the people,” the Holy Father noted. “This fact is conveyed to all the kings, so that they will know what their option should be when governing the nations.”

At the end of the psalm, Pope Benedict said, the psalmist begs the Lord to help him amidst the trials in life: “We have to be certain that, no matter how turbulent and burdensome the trials that await us, we will never be left alone and we will never fall from the Lord's hands, the hands that created us and that now follow us on our journey through life.”

Although it probably originated in a later period, Jewish tradition attributes Psalm 138, the hymn of thanksgiving that we just heard, to David. It opens with the psalmist's own personal song. He raises his voice before the assembly in the Temple, or at least has the Temple of Zion as a point of reference, the place where the Lord is present and meets the people who are faithful to him.

The psalmist acknowledges that he “bows low towards the holy Temple” (see verse 2) in Jerusalem. There he sings before God, who is in the heavens with his host of angels, but who also listens within the earthly confines of his Temple (see verse 1). The psalmist is certain that the “name” of the Lord — in other words his personal, living and active reality — as well as his virtues of faithfulness and mercy, signs of his covenant with his people, are the basis of all faith and hope (see verse 2).

God Gives Us Courage

Then, he gazes back for an instant to the past, to a day of suffering. At that time, this man of faith heard God's voice respond to his cry of anguish. It instilled courage into his troubled soul (see verse 3). The original Hebrew text speaks literally of the Lord, who “stirred up strength within the soul” of the just man who was oppressed. It was as though a violent wind burst in and swept away any hesitation and fear, imparting new, life-giving energy, and enabling fortitude and trust to flourish.

After this apparently personal preface, the psalmist widens his view to encompass the world, and he imagines that his personal testimony spans the whole horizon: “All the kings of the earth” in a universal sign of allegiance join together with the Jewish psalmist in a common song of praise in honor of the Lord's greatness and sovereign power (see verses 4-6).

God Helps the Lowly

The content of this chorus of praise rising from all the peoples provides us with a glimpse of the future Church of pagans — the universal Church of the future. Its primary theme is the “glory” and the “ways of the Lord” (see verse 5), namely, his plan of salvation and revelation. In this way, it reveals that God is clearly “on high” and transcendent, yet lovingly “cares for the lowly” and removes the haughty from his sight as a sign of rejection and judgment (see verse 6).

As Isaiah proclaimed, “For thus says he who is high and exalted, living eternally, whose name is the Holy One: On high I dwell, and in holiness, and with the crushed and dejected in spirit, to revive the spirits of the dejected, to revive the hearts of the crushed” (Isaiah 57:15). God has chosen, therefore, to defend the weak, the victims, the least among his people. This fact is conveyed to all the kings, so that they will know what their option should be when governing the nations. Of course, it is directed not only to kings and to all those who govern, but to all of us, because we, too, must know what our option should be: to be on the side of the lowly, the least among the people, the poor and the weak.

God Never Abandons Us

After this appeal on a worldwide scale to the leaders of nations, not only of that particular time but throughout the ages, the psalmist returns to his personal song of praise (see Psalm 138:7-8). Looking toward his future, he begs God to help him even amid the trials that life holds in store for him. When doing so, all of us join in this prayer with this psalmist from of old.

There is a brief reference to when his “enemies rage” (see verse 7), a kind of symbol of all the hostilities that the just might face on the road ahead during their journey through history. But he knows that the Lord will never abandon him and will stretch out his hand to support and guide him. The end of the psalm is, therefore, a last, passionate profession of trust in the God whose goodness lasts for all eternity. He “will never forsake the work of his hands,” those who are his creatures (see verse 8). We, too, must live in this trust and in this certainty of God's goodness.

We have to be certain that, no matter how turbulent and burdensome the trials that await us, we will never be left alone and we will never fall from the Lord's hands, the hands that created us and that now follow us on our journey through life. As St. Paul later confessed: “The one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it” (Philippians 1:6).

God Is Merciful

Thus, we, too, have prayed this psalm of praise, thanksgiving and trust. We would like to let this stream of praise in song keep flowing through the testimony of a Christian composer, the great Ephrem of Syria from the fourth century, the author of several texts of extraordinary poetic and spiritual fragrance.

“However great is our wonder at you, O Lord, your glory surpasses what our tongues can express,” Ephrem sings in one hymn (Inni sulla Verginità, 7: L'Arpa dello Spirito, Rome, 1999, p. 66), while in another he says, “Praise to you, for whom all things are easy because you are almighty” (Inni sulla Natività 11: ibid., p. 48). This is the ultimate reason for our trust: God has the power of mercy and uses his power for mercy. Finally, here is one last quotation: “Praise to you from all those who understand your truth” (Inni sulla Fede 14: ibid., p. 27).

(Register translation)

----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- *************************** Missing text Word Work File D_1662 *************************** TITLE: World Media Watch DATE: 12/18/2005 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: December 18-31, 2005 ----- BODY:

Poland Brings Culture of Life to European Union

THE NEW YORK TIMES, Dec. 5 — The presence of pro-life Eastern European countries like Poland in the European Union is causing a clash of cultures with its permissive fellow members, The Times reported.

When Polish members of the European Parliament placed an anti-abortion display in a parliamentary corridor in Strasbourg, France, recently, Ana Gomes, a Socialist legislator from Portugal, had the display taken away by Parliament guards after a scuffle in which an argument ensued between Gomes and the Polish contingent.

“New groups have come in from Poland, the Czech Republic and Latvia, and Catholicism is certainly becoming a very angry voice against what it sees as a liberal E.U.,'’ said Michael Cashman, 54, a European Parliament member from Britain who has campaigned for homosexual rights.

““We want to see Europe based on a Christian ethic,'’ said Maciej Giertych, one of 10 European Parliament members from the League of Polish Families Party.

““We accept the teachings of the Catholic Church on all moral issues. If you want to know our opinions, read the opinions of the Catholic Church.''

Vandals Desecrate Eucharist in Bengali Church

REUTERS, Dec. 5 — A mob desecrated the Eucharist before setting fire to pages of the Bible at the Jalalkhali Catholic Church in West Bengal after priests objected against the activities of a local criminal gang, Reuters reported.

The attackers also destroyed furniture and stole silver chalices in what looked like “a case of local rowdies disturbing the Church authorities because the priests were leading a campaign against crime,” police officer Biswarup Ghosh said.

No one was injured in the attack, he said, adding that one person had been arrested in connection with the case.

Father Antony Kariyattil, the church's pastor, said Church leaders had repeatedly protested against local gangs who teased girls, disturbed worshippers and indulged in petty crime.

South African Court Allows Same-Sex “Marriage'

WASHINGTON POST, Dec. 2 — South Africa's highest court ruled that homosexuals have a right to marry, and it gave the national parliament one year to change the words “husband” and “wife” to “spouse” in its marital laws, according to the Post.

Under the ruling, which was greeted with frustration by some Church leaders, South Africa will become the first African nation and the fifth in the world to extend full marital rights to same-sex couples.

The Catholic Church in South Africa stated it will never recognize marriages between same-sex couples, which are “disordered” relationships.

The Southern African Catholics Bishops conference said in a statement that it will oppose the measure in Parliament.

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