In Fall 2012, an unnamed parish in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (presumably its pastor) hired the Villanova University economist and Director of its Center for the Study of Church Management, Charles Zech, to survey lapsed Catholics (presumably the parish’s lapsed members). The survey’s purpose was to discover their reasons for leaving the practice of [...]
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Has post-Vatican II catechesis of Catholic youth failed?
Posted by The Motley Monk on June 19th, 2013
When speaking off the cuff: What does Pope Francis really mean?
Posted by The Motley Monk on June 12th, 2013
Once again, there’s a media frenzy. This time it’s been generated by Pope Francis who allegedly has spoken of the existence of a “gay lobby” in the Curia. Rumors had been circulating and, it was alledged, confirmed in a “secret” report Pope Benedict XVI prepared for his successor prior to the conclave. Some in [...]
Is the Church pro-civil unions?
Posted by The Motley Monk on June 11th, 2013
In Chiesa Express Online, Sandro Magister scoops stories for Catholics in much the same way Matt Drudge does for political junkies in his Drudge Report. In the end, the news and analysis sometimes aren’t “the whole truth and nothing but the whole truth” because they are reported in real time as the stories continue [...]
Posted in Politics 
Tags: Catholics, Chiesa Express Online, Matt Drudge, political junkies, Sandro Magister 
No Comments »Matt Birk #77 “Walks the Talk”
Posted by The Motley Monk on June 7th, 2013
Kudos to retired Baltimore Ravens center Matt Birk. The six-time Pro-Bowler and member of the Ravens’ 2013 Super Bowl team chose not to attend a Ravens team meeting on Wednesday with President Barack Obama at the White House. Why? #77 is an ardent pro-life Catholic and his public criticism of the pro-abortion lobby now extends [...]
A win-lose for desecrating the Eucharist?
Posted by The Motley Monk on June 3rd, 2013
With yesterday being the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, it might do Catholics well to continue reflecting not only on the Body and Blood of Christ but also concerning how far clever marketers are willing to go to desecrate the Eucharist with the goal of promoting their products. For example, consider the Australian company, AussieMite, [...]
A saint at work in the world…
Posted by The Motley Monk on May 22nd, 2013
Theological debate tends to divide, as each side in the intellectual debate attempts to prevail with its cherished argument being stamped as “Orthodox.” In this regard, the Lutheran theologian Jaroslav Pelikan wrote something to this effect: “The orthodox in one generation had better be careful, as in the next generation they may be the [...]
Posted in Politics Tags: intellectual debate, Jaroslav Pelikan, Lutheran theologian, Theological debate No Comments »Will general satisfaction be fueled by propaganda into general disatisfaction?
Posted by The Motley Monk on May 21st, 2013
Following the election of Pope Francis, many were asking “What do you think of the new Pope?” Judging from the responses, there was general satisfaction with the election of the Argentinian pontiff. His “humility” and “genuineness” seemed to top the list of reasons explaining this satisfaction. Then came Holy Thursday and the foot washing. [...]
An instructive lesson: What makes a university “Catholic”…
Posted by The Motley Monk on April 23rd, 2013
Academic administrators at the University of San Diego (USD) have offered what they believe is an instructive lesson—actually the second act in the drama titled “Inclusion and Diversity in U.S. Catholic Higher Education”—for knuckle-headed and knuckle-dragging Catholic Neanderthals who just don’t get what it means to be a truly Catholic university. The instructive lesson [...]
The honeymoon may be over…
Posted by The Motley Monk on April 15th, 2013
With the publication of one paragraph by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, it appears that the Catholic left’s honeymoon with Pope Francis may have hit a dead end. The paragraph reads: …Archbishop Müller informed the Presidency that he had recently discussed the Doctrinal Assessment with Pope Francis, who reaffirmed the findings [...]
Sometimes stories like these take on a second life and a third life…
Posted by The Motley Monk on April 12th, 2013
A nest of hornets have been stirred in the Catholic blogosphere. According to the Catholic World Report, as a result of administrators at Gonzaga University (GU) have refused the application of the Knights of Columbus group to be recognized as an official student group. What’s the problem? According to GU’s Vice President for Student Life, Sue [...]
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