By
John L. Allen Jr.
To the uninitiated, attempts to describe the congregation at Good
Shepherd Catholic Church in tiny Johnson City, Texas, could sound like a
routine from a stand-up comedian: “A white rancher, a Mexican day laborer
and a Nigerian prince walk into a parish.” Change “parish” to
“bar,” and you’ve got a setup in search of a punch line.
Full story
| Papal
Visit -- Pope in U.S. |
By
John L. Allen Jr.
Benedict will plant seeds on visit to U.S., raising this question:
What will he reap?
Full story
Schools give pope gift of community service
By
Brittani Hamm
Anyone who’s ever tried to buy a birthday present for an
octogenarian grandparent knows the dilemma: What do you buy for someone who
seems to have everything and need nothing?
Full story
By
NCR Correspondent
Church groups have joined the chorus calling for the release of results
from Zimbabwe’s March 29 presidential election, and for the incumbent
Robert Mugabe to accept the results “graciously.”
Full story
By
Mary Barron
Health care for all Americans, economic justice and opposition to the
war in Iraq are among issues pushing Catholics to the polls in record numbers
this election season. Not only are Catholics turning out in droves; they are
providing Sen. Hillary Clinton with the votes she’s needed to remain
competitive.
Full story
N.Y. teachers vote to strike during pope's visit
By
Religion News Service
and Catholic News Service
Teachers from 10 New York Catholic high schools have voted
to strike while Pope Benedict XVI visits New York. The Lay Faculty Association, a union representing about 420 teachers in
schools from Poughkeepsie to Staten Island, wants the New York archdiocese to
agree to a new three-year contract with improved pay, pension plan and health
benefits.
Full story
Forgot to pack your Bhagavad Gita?
By
Religion News Service
At one hotel in Nashville, Tenn., when you feel like a bit of religious
reading before bedtime, you’ll have more than a Gideon Bible to choose
from. The Hotel Preston recently started offering a “spiritual menu”
to its guests, including the Quran, the Bhagavad Gita or “Song of
God,” and additional versions of the Bible.
Full story
By
Patricia Lefevere
Water -- why worry? New Jersey is blessed with 40 inches of rain
on average each year. Water is everywhere. Yet the state’s magnificent
shoreline is receding, its reservoirs are shrinking, salt is leaching into
underground water and basements are flooding.
Full story
Not everyone is aware of the growing pressures on the nation’s
water supply, but everyone who pays for water could follow steps -- many
suggested by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection -- to
reduce consumption and your water bill.
Full story
By
Patricia Lefevere
Ask any 10 people what is the most essential element of life and chances
are a majority of them will say “water.” Yet few if any of them may
know that less than 1 percent of the Earth’s water is available for human
use.
Full story
|
Avoided: King's reality
In the outpouring of words and events related to Martin Luther King Jr.
on the 40th anniversary of his death April 4, his legacy unfortunately, if
unsurprisingly, got shortchanged. As one Catholic preacher put it the Sunday
after the celebrations: We’ve become comfortable in watering down his
message and reducing it to four words, “I have a dream.”
Full editorial
The danger of breakfast politics
Under normal circumstances, it would be unrealistic to expect truth in
labeling standards to apply to a political event. Spin and self-interest are
too much part of the mix. When a church is involved, however, self-policing ought to be tighter.
We refer to an event taking place in Washington this month: the fifth annual
National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.
Full editorial
“Which also explains his choice for vice president, Hannah
Montana.”
-- Late night TV host Jay Leno on Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey Jr.’s
saying he endorsed Barack Obama because his four young daughters told him they
wanted Barack for president
More quotes
Damning America right and left
In America, condemnation of sins is as old as the Puritans.
Full story
One man's tale of war
Dr. Osama Al-Salami lost his wife, son and home in Iraq.
Full story
Women scholars belong at synod on the Word
By
Rita L. Houlihan
At the beginning of his resurrected life, Jesus chose
St. Mary Magdalene to witness and announce his resurrection. Yet, too often,
women leaders, biblical and otherwise, are invisible in church preaching and
proclamation.
Full story
By
Eileen Markey
Buried in nation's financial woes is a serious moral issue, Catholic
leaders say.
Full story
By
Religion News Service
and Catholic News Service
Two U.S. dioceses -- New Orleans, La., and Camden, N.J. -- announced
major reorganizations in early April that will see a significant number of
parishes closed or merged in each jurisdiction.
Full story
By
Teresa Malcolm
Kids encounter Thailand's river ecology up close.
Full story
By
Dick Saale
There are no indigenous people on the Antarctic
continent -- the harsh environment keeps human presence to a minimum.
Antarctica is the coldest, highest and windiest continent on Earth with winter
temperatures averaging about minus 70 degrees F.
Full story
By
Rich Heffern
Local Burger, a small restaurant in downtown Lawrence, has reimagined
the lowly hamburger, hot dog and French fry. “Why should tasty, wholesome food be regularly accessible only to
the privileged few?” asked owner-entrepreneur Hilary Brown, who opened the
restaurant in 2005. “Why shouldn’t everyone eat clean, healthy
food?”
Full story
|
FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK
Catholicism, Texas style
Imagine not being able to attend Sunday Mass because the church
won’t hold everyone. I’ve never had this experience and I suspect that many of our
readers haven’t either. But according to Fr. Robert Williams, the pastor
of Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Garland, Texas, this is the reality in many
parishes in his state. Catholic church membership in Texas is growing so fast
that parishes can’t keep up with the numbers.
Full story
Carbonated holiness
By
Margot Patterson
In their first encounter, writers Anne Lamott and Elizabeth Gilbert
fizz with wit.
Full story
By
Stafford Betty
Eckhart Tolle is the planet’s hottest purveyor of what some would
call New Age religion. And Oprah Winfrey -- well, she needs no introduction. He
is soft-spoken, reflective, and otherworldly -- many would say enlightened. She
is dynamic, sparkling, and -- by her own admission -- caught up in a war with
her own widening body, as worldly a concern as one can imagine. So what could
these two possibly have in common? What could bring them together as
co-instructors in the world’s largest classroom?
Full story
Calling all writers!
Send submissions for future topics in our “Variations on a
Theme” feature to themes@ncronline.org. We prefer e-mail.
Or you can send them by regular mail to: Themes, Rich Heffern, NCR, 115
E. Armour Blvd., Kansas City MO 64111 or fax them to (816) 968-2280.
Full story
Lively oldsters, courageous youngsters
By
Kevin Doherty
and Joseph Cunneen
Seniors sing in 'Young @ Heart'; a little boy undertakes a perilous
journey in 'Under the Same Moon.'
Full review
The amazing complexity of religious belief
Reviewed by
Darrell Turner
Full review
Poetry April 18, 2008
Letters for April 18, 2008
Classifieds for April 18, 2008
News Briefs for April 18, 2008
People for April 18, 2008
Last Words
A memorable quote from this
week's issue.
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