Sitemap - 2023 - Blithe Spirit Weekly

God's in His heaven. That's not only where He is. He knows us stem to stern. How about taking advantage of that? Plus helping Cardinal Cupich out. And fixing the gay blessing.

When Henry David Thoreau walked into a Catholic church in Montreal, he had to hand it to those Romans, who clearly had something going he had found nowhere else . . .

At holy Mass, the Kiss of Peace seen up close, Flannery O'Connor and Mary McCarthy on transubstantiation

Turning point for theologians, “paradigm shift,” political pope, dictator pope, pot gets stirred . . .

Pope Francis launches new way to theologize, which gotta be “outgoing” (his quote marks) among other things . . .

The pope speaks his mind, tells what he thinks about theologians, has a plan . . .

Temple Jeremiah revisited. The teachers explain. Challa bread and becoming a mensch. 20 teachers on Sunday, 18 more during the week for Hebrew classes. They "know how to talk to children."

Religious education at a Chicago-area temple in 1995. A study, Part One of Two.

Sunday School Presbyterian-style, 1995 . . . Come with me to beautiful Western Springs, lovely Sunday in November.

Day Two at a Lutheran School in Chicago's Austin neighborhood in 1995. Part of the St. Paul School appeal was its no-nonsense approach and making do with less --

1995, a Lutheran school grows in Austin . . . The road to St. Paul Lutheran School, Menard Avenue just north of Chicago Avenue, is paved with potholes. Nobody said the Christian life would be easy.

Religious faith in the daily paper, Tom Roeser, Andrew Greeley, Mike Royko, Bob Newhart, Chelsea Clinton, Al Gore, Evelyn Waugh, Nancy Mitford, Mary Lefkowitz, Mel Holli, Seneca, Paddy Bauler . . .

Dr. Science and the school boards and how to help black kids do better in 1997. Strategies in the war against the much-discussed performance "gap."

Buddy, can you spare a minute? Greasing palms that rock the nation-cradle. Sapphic wisdom. That crazy Foucault. He can't say that! Words, words, words. Sighs of relief.

Garry Wills and John Wayne and Andrew Greeley and Robert Novak and Newt Gingrich and the Clintons and Paul de Man (who?) and Janet Reno and Cardinal Cody and Gallup and #2 daughter (!) in . . .

Dr. Science and the school board. GK Chesterton. The computer cometh. Bughouse Square. And yet more school board meetings. All as told in . . .

Serious synod silence. Reporter acts like a reporter. Official spokesman plays part, handler intercedes to help. The clear-answer problem. Papal forgettingness on same-sex blessing matter.

The Synod on Synodality is just around the corner in October and already one can feel the excitement building among rank-and-file Catholics for what promises to be the first time the Church . . .

What kind of sinner are you? When Will Pope Francis Update the “Hail Mary”? New mass a lost cause, but all is not lost? LET’S HEAR IT FOR WEEKDAY MASS.

As synodality looms, a bishop-in-charge-of-a-diocese deploys traditional language that never passes the lips of his international superior . . .

Do not report COVID cases to schools & do not test yourself if you feel ill

Masks don’t work Masks don’t work Masks don’t work Masks don’t work

The synod is coming, hurrah, hurrah, all hail the coming synod -- on synodality to boot. Buckle up, all ye pew-sitters . . .

What does the influx of migrants cost the windy city? Who knows?

Love this advice by and to a teen-ager: Get with old people, read old books. Plus big Chicago problem is . . . uninvited newcomers cost money . . .

More Jesuit training in the 1950s, picking up from my Company Man book, from months ago: the coming of the philosophical mind . . .

Worshipers, pay attention, the priest up front leading you along is not only a priest, he's a "presider." Read about that here . . .

"It is probably too late to pull the plug on this event," says NC Reporter man, meaning the impending Eucharistic Congress . . .

Northwestern’s AD wrote a book of advice to young men trying to make their way in football, Chi Trib features it as a sign of what’s wrong at NU, where horrible hazing is reported.

What gives at this gathering of synodalists? What do the gatherers have in mind? The Catholic hoi-polloi are alerted, more or less.

At Mass, a 2nd-rate experience imposed by Novus Ordo? Aka new mass, standard offering in RC churches worldwide.

Pro-gay James Martin SJ to the fore in U.S. synodality lineup. Francis picked him. He’s F’s fair-haired boy, all in for DISCERNMENT, a wonderful vehicle and a demanding one . . .

What Pope Benedict said about clapping at mass, it's not an option if you know what's going on. It's not a party or even entirely a commemoration or a rejoicing in one another's presence . . .

Why he used a manual typewriter

SAINTS JOHN AND PAUL (362 A.D.) Martyrs and what they can tell us about going along to get ahead . . .

When early Lutherans got liturgical marching orders and were told to get rid of altars etc. . . .

Jansenists, strictest of the strict, promoted liturgical reform a la Vatican 2 . . .

When the Belgian liturgy reformer escaped a German prison . . .

Ecumenism a third rail for liturgical movement, but remains part and parcel of its mystique.

The early ’20s: Wonderful developments but with shadows of Euro-extremism

1880's and Eucharistic congresses. Pius X. Frequent communion. Jesuit-Benedictine squabble. Liturgy God-centered or "pastoral"?

Liturgy as public prayer

19th Century Rediscoveries: The Mass as experience not lecture, not even a prayer meeting. Being moved by the Spirit . . .

Tobit and Sarah, same day sufferers and pleaders to God for relief. He weeps for his sins and blindness, she for her demonic persecution, seven dead husbands, accused by her maid of murdering each!

Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times suppress news of national scandals

Opening shot for book on worship not soon to be a major motion picture, possible titles for said book, liturgical movement gone astray, the two Pope Piuses . . .

Read all about it: Newsie misplaced key phrase, no Mister In-Between wanted in war time.

Holy Father can't remember being told of ex-cardinal McCarrick’s sexual abuse of seminarians and adolescents. A shame.

Cardinal Cupich of Chicago sounded alarm to fellow bishops in 2018 about publishing abuser priests -- five years before AG dropped hammer on him

Money in them hills, black, white and indifferent, sigh. Take Black Lives Matter (please?). It's been a gold mine for some very deserving (con) people. Gotta hand it to them . . .

Getting ready for the next lockdown? German gummint beat you to it. From same part of the world, masks don't work. And while yr at it, go green and ruin things.

The guilt issue, baby bonds, daily mass . . .

The bishop who lost his way: Tuscany in the 1780s. Liturgical reform ahead of its time. Incumbent pope made short work of it. The synod that popped up in Vatican 2 debate.

Getting to the church on time, war on farming, trouble on NYC subway for the good guy

Masking and its discontents. Smile again, if you remember how. And remember the kids: To save them from us and vice versa was the idea, and now they have a problem.

The parish is sponsoring a series of lectures about papal encyclicals, six to be exact, by two popes, the late Benedict before he became emeritus and the incumbent Francis.

Join me on Notes

Did you know this about the firing of Tucker Carlson?

Bold call for post-electoral strategy that Mayor-elect Johnson's people should pursue to defeat the Right, who have their own "well-tested playbook"

Chi Trib ed page: Brandon Johnson’s statement on Loop violence was as revealing as it was lamentable

Something in the mail today from the Alma Mater . . .

If you thought the better man lost the mayoral election and want to feel better about it, don't read this rundown on what the winner said about major issues Chicago faces . . .

He's their million-dollar baby. Let's go, Brandon. Chicago teachers going for the jackpot. Chicago Teachers Union members file unfair labor complaint against union over dues money funneled to Brandon

Candidate Johnson one of SEVENTEEN county board commissioners. Who even KNEW he was there?

We are in Lent's 5th week, known in days of yore as Passion Week, featuring on Monday drama in its opening lines . . .

Friend of Jesus gets a reprieve: Today's gospel gives a vivid picture . . .

Mayoral hopeful Brandon Johnson wins the kindergarten debate game, hands down . . .

Chicago mayor rivals have very different plans for education-Chicago Tribune. Or: when is a newspaper article not a newspaper article?

Thou shalt not call them thugs. Chi Trib has goods on candidate the news room loves to hate. His twitter site "liked" a "thug"-strewn comment. . .

Illinois bishop calls a cardinal heretical, says he has disqualified himself from voting in a papal enclave, argues with alarming consistency. Harbinger of very bad things? . . . .

The great he-she-it-they-them-their controversy. Pray for the republic of letters. They are coming for you, us, who knows what else. It's the great pronoun war.

Newsroom, meet Ed Page. Ed Page, meet the people who in their view are trying keep you honest. Let's you two fight.

Chicago's Cardinal Cupich on a mercy bender? Ignores the other side of Jesus. Two sides to the Savior, however . . .

Chicago Cardinal came a-cropper in welcoming all and sundry to Communion? Commentators find fault with him for ignoring the state-of-grace requirement . . .

The polls have it, the latest at least, compliments of Fox 32's Mike Flannery: Da Mayor won't even make the playoff! She gone, as Sox announcer used to say . . .

In Chi-town, we got polls. Who's for mayor? Vallas looking strong in the stretch. Solutions for decline of the Loop. More cops on the street or more fun things to do? Hear candidates out. . . .

Let's hear it for the political thing. City elections coming up: alderpeople (!), police overseers, MAYOR (!), oh yeah . . .

What is this pronoun thing? Whom does it help? How does it help him or her or . . . them???

Have a look at Oak Park's senator a few years back, engineering a "town hall" meeting that ignored a prominent ground-roots organization that lacked party connection . . .

Winning an election not all it's cracked up to be . . .

Ran out of time? Not enough of it for what you want to do? It happens.

Today's Communism a shadow of its former self. Leftism gone astray. Society's offal its focus, Marx and Engels would say . . .

The late Joseph Sobran speaking at St. Thomas More parish, April of 1999 -- a blast from the past . . .

Franz Liszt to the barricades of youthful deprivation . . .

Jesuits in training, PHILOSOPHY, 1954–57

When the family invaded the biggest city on a junket to see one of the girls and threw in Swarthmore to see another . . .

Life in village on edge of humongous big city in day gone by . . .

Four hundred years of Blaise Pascal, whose words ring today as true as ever vs. spiritual doubt, skepticism and atheism . . .

In your backyard is a jungle, if you only look . . . Jazz by telemarketer . . . Two writers walked into a bar . . . Poetry by Keats after a night out . . .

John Keats and other writers . . .

"Grease" on sex . . . Church bells noisy . . . Michigan travelogue . . . Bill Murray on the campaign trail . . .

July, '96, black-white dialog hot and heavy. Harangue or not to harangue 26 years ago. Back and forth in the newspaper. Those were the days. . . .

GM selling cars in Mexico that "don't go." Microsoft thesaurus laying eggs. Chatting with the washerwoman in Japan. Addressing a black man in the South. "Harangue" rebutted by Oak Park editor . . .

Netanyahu household a-flutter. Sun-Times man flouts correctness requirements. Homonym issues discussed. The Margaret who grieved, another who did not, glad the sisters made her memorize poetry.

Sir Walter Scott, "Lady of the Lake," Cynthia Ozick, in Dumbing Down: . . . the Strip-mining of American Culture . . .

My Jesuit friend the late Charlie Law, writing in 1996 from his missionary post in Nepal about baby-girl harvesting

Civilization out of Africa? Not quite. Ignore ethnicity at your peril? If you say so. Dakotas saw their neighborhood changing in the 1840s. West Side black kids in the 1960s and their limited view ...