News

Río de Janeiro (Agenzia Fides) – According to a report issued by the Getulio Vargas Foundation although in the 1990s Brazil saw a drastic decline in its Catholic population, the soul drain has stopped and the numbers have remained at a stable 73.79% registered in 2003.

The report was issued a week before the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI who will make a 4 day visit to the country from 9-13 May. Brazil has the largest Catholic population in the world although the Church has lost numerous members. In 2000 there were 125.53 million Catholics in 2003 the number had risen to 129.76 million and the Foundation says today Brazilian Catholics number around 139.24 million.

The report, Study on Religions: Recent Changes, is based on statistics supplied by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics in 2003 compared with those which emerged from a recent population count. The report said the number of Catholics in Brazil between 1991 and 2000 dropped from 83,34% to 73,89%. In 1940, Catholics were 95.01% of the population and then diminished gradually: 93.48% in 1950, 93.07% in 1960, 91.77% in 1970, 88.96% in 1980 and 83.34% in 1991.

DALLAS. Bishop Kevin Joseph Farrell was installed May 1 as the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Dallas during a historic Mass held at Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

The Apostolic Nuncio from Washington, D.C., Pietro Sambi, the pope’s representative in the United States, read the apostolic mandate appointing Bishop Farrell to lead the Dallas Diocese at the ceremony, which filled the downtown cathedral with more than 2,000 people. The two-hour Mass was concelebrated by archbishops, bishops and priests from throughout Texas and the United States, including Archbishop Donald Wuerl and retired Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, both of Washington, D.C.

Bishop Brian Farrell, who is on staff at the Vatican in Rome and who is Bishop Kevin Farrell’s brother, also concelebrated.

… In his homily, Bishop Farrell noted that it was the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, guardian and protector of the Holy Family.

“In the Catholic community, the bishop fulfills a task that has many similarities to St. Joseph’s,” he said. This is well expressed in the preface of today’s Mass, which describes Joseph as “…that wise and loyal servant, whom you placed at the head of your family…with fatherly care he watched over Jesus Christ, your Son.”

Bishop Farrell acknowledged that to be a guardian of the faith is not an easy task.

“We live in a world where the tendency is to create our own God – a god in our own likeness and image – our own code of doctrine,” he said, “which suits our own particular lifestyle. The gospel of Jesus is not to be accommodated to the culture of the day, but it is the word of God, which must guide our life and culture.”

On April 21, Archbishop George Niederauer joined Catholic Charities CYO of San Francisco in honoring a pro-abortion, pro-homosexual rights politician — the late Leo T. McCarthy.

As chairman of the Catholic Charities board, Niederauer presented the organization’s 2007 Loaves and Fishes Awards to the honorees, including one for “Outstanding Service to the Community in dedication to the life and works of Leo T. McCarthy,” according to an April 23 Catholic Charities press release.

The life and works of Leo T. McCarthy? Too bad Mr. McCarthy didn’t work for life.

“This year’s honorees have been absolutely dedicated to transforming the lives of families and children in need through direct aid and advocates,” said Niederauer. “Their unwavering commitment to help the ‘least among us’ is an inspiration and an example of philanthropy and public service at its most generous.”

I am surprised irony detectors around the world didn’t peg and sound alarm at the use of ‘least among us’ in reference to a pro-abortion politician. Especially one that "promised to write the Roe v. Wade ruling into law, support Medicaid funding of abortion and push for the distribution of the RU-486 abortion pill.”

Archbishop Niederauer joined Privett and other priests at the altar for McCarthy’s funeral Mass. Also attending the Mass were House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, former assembly speaker and former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown, current San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom, state treasurer and former state attorney general Bill Lockyer, and current assembly speaker Fabian Nuñez.

Ah the elite of the Culture of Death politicians honoring one of their own.

Please pray for the soul of Leo T. McCarthy and for Archbishop Niederauer.

	Jester Hat Tip:	Bill Cork

In other news Marureen Wittman has written a prayer for Bishop Carl F. Mengeling, Bishop of Lansing who is recovering from surgery. American Papist is also covering the story..

In his latest column in The Catholic Key, Bishop Finn has asked the faithful of the diocese to spend 30 days in May praying for the intercession of Saint Joseph that vocations to the priesthood and religious life may increase. To that end, he suggests the Litany of Saint Joseph (see below). My family will take up this challenge. KCC hopes yours does as well.

In his column, Bishop Finn notes that ours is one of only two U.S. dioceses that have the name of this great saint within the name of the diocese itself–the other being the 26 year old diocese of San Jose, CA.

	Jester Hat Tip:	Kansas City Catholic

Fr. Jay Toborowsky at the wonderfully named Young Fogeys blog reports on Msgr. Elliott being named an Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Melbourne, Australia. Msgr. Elliott is the author of "Ceremonies of the Modern Roman Rite"which I have heard to be outstanding and need to add to my book queue.

ATLANTA –After two decades of waiting, Emory University is unsealing its collection of hundreds of letters between author Flannery O’Connor and one of her longtime friends.

The collection was given to Emory by Elizabeth "Betty" Hester, who began corresponding with O’Connor as a fan in 1955. The relationship developed into a close friendship lasting until O’Connor’s death in 1964. Hester donated the letters to Emory in 1987 on condition that they remain sealed for 20 years.

Edited versions of some of the letters were published in a 1979 book, but this is the first time the public will be able to read the entire collection. The letters will give fans and scholars of the famed Southern writer a glimpse into O’Connor’s feelings on religion, society and culture, said Rosemary Magee, vice president at Emory and an O’Connor scholar.

"They engaged in a theological and philosophical conversation," said Magee. "To get further insight into her as a thinker, as a person and as a writer is just an amazing opportunity for anybody who has read her literature."

O’Connor, a Georgia native, lived much of her life in Milledgeville, Ga., on her family’s farm, called Andalusia. She graduated from Georgia State College for Women — now Georgia College & State University — and received a master’s degree from the Writer’s Workshop at the University of Iowa.

Her work includes the novels Wise Blood and The Violent Bear It Away. She also produced numerous short stories, including A Good Man Is Hard to Find.

Hester, a file clerk in an Atlanta credit bureau, lived a reclusive life, but she was an avid reader and intellectual. She also corresponded with British writer Iris Murdoch. Her identity as one of O’Connor’s confidantes was kept secret until Hester’s death in 1998.

"I think Betty Hester was the most important correspondent in Flannery O’Connor’s life," said Steve Enniss, director of Emory’s manuscripts, archives and rare books library where the letters are housed. "These letters help tell with great fullness the story of O’Connor’s own life that is so intertwined with her stories."

The collection of 274 letters will be opened to the public May 12.

James Higgins, 7, has been attending daily Mass since he was 3. His parents, Stephen and Lauren, never have to drag him out of bed or away from playthings, either.

“I have it in my heart to go,” said James, decked out in a blue sweat suit, a Red Sox jacket and cap.

He said he’s undecided between a career with the Red Sox or as the first American pope. But given this boy’s encyclopedic knowledge of the church, the safe money is on the Vatican job.

Read the whole thing via Father Stephanos, O.S.B.

Fr. Stephanos, O.S.B let me know that in the Bloggers Choice Awards I am now eight votes behind the Atheists.org/nogodblog in the Best Religion Blog category. First off thanks for everyone who voted for me. I was presently surprised to see the vote total considering that I have not be hawking this award. The top blogs are now pretty much all Catholic blogs so that is good news.

It is a quick registration to login and vote for your favorite blogs in multiple categories and I would appreciate any votes putting me over the top of the atheist blog. It would be a nice irony to have an ex-atheist overtake them. Plus it is always a quick login to pray for atheists.

Mercator.net has a cool story about a heart surgeon who could also one day be declared a saint.

Tai Pei (Agenzia Fides) – When Bishop Luke Liu Hsien-Tang Bishop emeritus of the diocese of Hsing Chu, poured the blessed water on the head of Miss Xu Song Re Ai who is 114 years old the people present burst into warm applause to welcome the oldest Catholic in Taiwan. According to Tai Pei diocesan bulletin Christian Life Weekly Miss Xu Song was baptised in the parish of the Immaculate Conception on Easter Sunday. The event was announced by all the media in Taiwan Catholic and non. The diocese arranged for Miss Xu Song to be baptised on the Sunday, after 21 people had received the sacraments of Christian initiation during the Easter Vigil Mass. Over 200 people were present for the baptism of Mrs Xu Song Re Ai, presided by Bishop Luke Liu, who said: “I think we probably have the oldest Catholic lady in the world”. When asked by press men if she was happy Mrs Xu Song clapped her hands.

Mrs Xu Song whose parents were very poor was sent to work for a rich family which later in 1948 moved to Taiwan. A year later the family decided to return to mainland China but because she suffered from sea sickness Miss Xu Song stayed in Taiwan and worked for another family which accompanied her life of faith to baptism. The head of her new family Prof. Qi Zheng Zhong was baptised at the age of 25. Prof. Qi arranged for her to have daily catechism in 2007 at the Old Peoples Home where she now lives. Wang Tong Min diocesan press officer said “Miss Xu Song, who never married, is still very clear headed and lively. Her baptism gives new impulse to evangelisation and pastoral care”. (NZ)(Agenzia Fides 25/04/2007 Righe: 22 Parole: 227)

London, Apr 25, 2007 / 11:48 am (CNA).- In anticipation of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations – which the Church celebrates this coming Sunday, the 29th of April, the National Office for Vocation of the Bishops Conference of England and Wales has launched a new vocations program which utilizes Japanese-style "manga" illustrations.

“We have chosen the Manga cartoons for the 2007 campaign, because we hope it will appeal to young people under twenty as well as people in their thirties,” Fr. Paul Embery, Director of the National Office for Vocation, explained to the Italian Religious Service.

“Many of today’s priests and religious people say they first thought of their callings at the age of ten, sometimes even earlier.”

A poster with the cartoons showing the future priests and religious of England and Wales has been distributed in nearly five thousand Catholic churches, schools, and places of prayer around the country a dedicated website will be launched next Sunday (www.calledtoday.com).

The website tells the life of the five real characters with a real story to tell, experiences that will be told live by a priest, two nuns, a monk and a lay man who devoted his life to the Church.

Well I am not expert on Manga, though I was once homeported in Yokosuka. But their characters really don’t have that Manga feel to them – for one the eyes are too normal. Though I am glad the eyes are not the size of the ones on the stained glass windows in an otherwise beautiful church in downtown Akron.

Though it is somehow fitting that Manga be used to promote vocations, just as long as they don’t say that Jesus is the God-Manga.

Fr. Roderick of the Catholic Insider, Daily Breakfast, and a plethora of other projects has a new podcast out – Secrets of the Lord of the Rings.

In this first episode of the Secrets of the Lord of the Rings: presentation of the podcast; Middle Earth in books, movies and games; news: Children of Hurin, the world wide launch of Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar; a tour of Archet in Bree-land; fighting wolves, boars and brigands. Lord of the Rings: a catholic theological thriller?

…In the midst of the recent publication of Tolkien’s posthumous “Children of Hurin,” and the April launch of a worldwide online multiplayer game based on the world of Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings,” the new podcast is launched at an exciting moment for fans of Tolkien’s Middle Earth.

“People continue to be intrigued by these stories and want to know more about the events, the characters, and the mythology of the world that Tolkien created”, says Fr. Roderick Vonhögen, Catholic priest and host of the new podcast. “However, few people realize that the Lord of the Rings and other books by this great author are deeply rooted in Tolkien’s Catholic faith.”

Catholic perspective

Tolkien“In his works, Tolkien expresses fundamental themes like love and hate, selfishness and self-sacrifice, loyalty and betrayal, good and evil, and shows the Catholic perspective on these matters in a subtle and non-allegoric way. In this new podcast, I want to highlight these deeper layers of the mythology of Middle Earth.”

I received my copy of Children of Hurin the same day I received John C. Wright’s "Titans of Chaos" the conclusion to his excellent Orphans of Chaos series of which I am reading now. So maybe I’m not top of the echelon of Tolkien geeks for not reading Children of Hurin first, but hey it was a tough decision.

You can subscribe to the new podcast via this feed

Joseph Pearce who has written three books on Tolkien previously did a series of lectures at a Protestant seminary on the philosophy of the LOTR and of course Tolkien himself called LOTR “a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision.” His lectures on this subject really were interesting as he maps out the philosophy Middle Earth

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3a
Part 3b