A Polish firm that makes coffins has angered the Catholic church by trying to drum up business with a calendar depicting topless models posing next to its caskets. One image from the 2013 edition of the calendar has a blonde model, wearing only a skimpy thong and with a snake draped around her neck, reclining Read more
Odd Spot
Nun caught on video stealing beer
Friday, November 9th, 2012A person dressed as a nun was caught stealing beer from a convenience store on a surveillance video. In the video, the “nun” opens a sliding glass freezer to grab a beer. The “nun” looks around and then places the beer underneath the clothing. Moments later, the “nun” is caught on tape stealing a bottle Read more
Villagers take to YouTube to recruit new vicar
Tuesday, November 6th, 2012Churchgoers in Essex who have been without a vicar for 16 months have taken to YouTube to look for a replacement. The parish’s two busy churches, St Andrew’s in Bicknacre and St Mary’s in Woodham Ferrers currently “borrow” retired clergy and vicars from neighbouring parishes. They have made repeated attempts to recruit a new vicar Read more
New Zealand has its own pilgrimages
Friday, November 2nd, 2012
Pilgrimages have greatly advanced in popularity in recent years throughout the world. Who would have thought that thousands of people, young and old, would queue to walk the 800+ km of the Pilgrimage to Compostela in Spain, recently popularized by the film “The Way”, at present screening in New Zealand cinemas! The film is well Read more
In new ad, Biden boasts he is a ‘practicing Catholic’
Friday, November 2nd, 2012In a new ad for ‘Catholics for Obama,’ Vice President Joe Biden boasts he is a “practicing Catholic” and explains that Obama’s platform matches his understanding of Catholic doctrine. “As a practicing Catholic like many of you, I was raised in a household where there was absolutely no distinction between the values my mom and Read more
More teal vicar? Colourful clergy show off new robes on catwalk
Tuesday, October 30th, 2012It may shock traditionalists but vicars have taken to the catwalk to model the latest fashions in clergy robes. The modelling ministers are showing off the latest designs at an annual Christian event nicknamed The Ideal Church Show this week. But some of the outfits, from an electric blue dress for female clergy to a Read more
Too much water at Lourdes: Clean-up under way
Friday, October 26th, 2012A massive clean-up was under way Sunday in the French pilgrimage town of Lourdes, famed for its Catholic sanctuaries, after flash floods forced the evacuation of some 450 pilgrims and closed the main shrine. As the waters receded to reveal thick carpets of mud, serious damage to the sanctuaries became apparent, but they were due Read more
What does “Catholic” really mean?
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012If “universal” is the adequate meaning of “catholic,” why did the Latin church, which in its latin language had the word “universalis”, not use this word but rather borrowed from Greek the term katholikos instead, speaking of the “one, holy, catholic and apostolic church “(to put it into English) instead of the “one, holy, universal Read more
London rock band sings the Creed in Latin
Friday, October 19th, 2012“Credo in unum Deum, patrem omnipotentum, creatorem coeli et terrae, visibilium et invisibilium.” The words are an unmistakable copy of the Latin version of the Creed. Except that their context is light years away from traditionalists’ liturgies. These are in fact the opening lyrics to Credo, the new single released by London rock band Ooberfuse Read more
Biden and Ryan end debate with recitation of Rosary
Tuesday, October 16th, 2012After a heated and combative debate last week, Vice President Joe Biden and Paul Ryan took to their knees to say and reflect on the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary. It was the first time in history that two Roman Catholic vice presidential candidates shared the stage for a debate, and as expected, the two Read more