What a Great Idea!

My grandson recently graduated from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. I hope that BC takes a tip from U of Mary.

New Catholic Studies Program Unveiled
by Tim Drake Monday, February 01, 2010

According to Prairie Business, Bismarck, North Dakota’s University of Mary, plans to offer a Catholic Studies program beginning this fall. By doing so, it becomes one of fewer than 50 colleges and universities to offer such a program.
“This new initiative is a wonderful way to carry forward our founding Benedictine Sisters’ mission to serve the religious, academic and cultural needs of the people of our region,” stated Father James Shea, university president. “We see this new program as an innovative way both to enhance the university’s Catholic identity and to provide an avenue through which students of all faiths can deepen their knowledge of Catholicism’s rich and living heritage. We hope Catholic studies will offer our students space for reflection on the crucial issues of our time and a deeper maturity of faith.”
The program will allow students to develop a deeper understanding of the Catholic faith within the context of science, literature, the arts, history, and other liberal arts courses offered by the university.
A minor in the program would require two core courses and three electives, such as The Catholic Literary Tradition, Sacred Music of the Catholic Heritage, The History of the American Church, or Science and Christian Theology.
Over the past three decades, an increasing number of universities have sought to bolster their Catholic identity by adding such programs.

History of the Catholic Church in ... - Google Books

History of the Catholic Church in ... - Google Books

For several months, my spare time has been devoted to learning about the history of Christianity and its Jewish antecedents. Currently I am reading Father Shea's History of the Catholic Church in America available in full via Google Books. At the same time I am reading Hans Kung's The Catholic Church; a Short History. These two books represent viewpoints almost 180 degrees different. Hopefully I will blog some of my thoughts as I move along.

Christmas Approaches

About the year 130 A.D., a letter was addressed to a certain Diognetus who is otherwise unknown. Diognetus was evidently a pagan and the letter explains Christianity in a way likely to make sense to one of Diogetus' station.\

"For Christians cannot be distinguished from the rest of the human race by
country or language or customs. They do not live in cities of their own; they do
not use a peculiar form of speech; they do not follow an eccentric manner of
life... "They live in their own countries, but only as aliens. They have a
share in everything as citizens, and endure everything as foreigners. Every
foreign land is their fatherland, and yet for them every fatherland is a foreign
land. They marry, like everyone else, and they beget children, but they do not
cast out their offspring... "They obey the established laws, but in their
own lives they go far beyond what the laws require. They love all men, and by
all men are persecuted. They are unknown, and still they are condemned; they are
put to death, and yet they are brought to life. "They are poor, and yet
they make many rich; they are completely destitute, and yet they enjoy complete
abundance. "To put it simply: What the soul is in the body, that Christians
are in the world. The soul is dispersed through all the members of the body, and
Christians are scattered through all the cities of the world. The soul dwells in
the body, but does not belong to the body, and Christians dwell in the world,
but do not belong to the world... "The world hates Christians, even though
it suffers no wrong at their hands, because they range themselves against its
pleasures. The soul loves the flesh that hates it, and its members; in the same
way, Christians love those who hate them. "The soul is shut up in the body,
and yet itself holds the body together; while Christians are restrained in the
world as in a prison, and yet themselves hold the world together. "The
soul, which is immortal, is housed in a mortal dwelling; while Christians are
settled among corruptible things, to wait for the incorruptibility that will be
theirs in heaven."

Unity - At Least in the right direction

Some of the reporting on this has been ugly - especially in the "mainstream" media.

Anglican Province Accepts Pope's Offer

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POSTED BY EDWARD PENTIN

Thursday, November 05, 2009 1:46 PM

The Traditional Anglican Communion’s province in Great Britain has become the first to accept Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Constitution for Anglicans.

All its members voted unanimously to come into communion with Rome under the terms of the new provision, which allows them to retain their Anglican patrimony.

An undated statement on the province’s website reads:

“That this Assembly, representing the Traditional Anglican Communion in Great Britain, offers its joyful thanks to Pope Benedict XVI for his forthcoming Apostolic Constitution allowing the corporate reunion of Anglicans with the Holy See, and requests the Primate and College of Bishops of the Traditional Anglican Communion to take the steps necessary to implement this Constitution.”

A statement from Bishop David Moyer of the Traditional Anglican Communion reads:

“The well-attended Assembly was a grace-filled gathering where all in attendance became aware of the movement of the Holy Spirit. The bishops, priests, ordinands, and lay representatives were brought to a place of “being in full accord and of one mind,” as St. Paul prayed for the Church in Philippi.

North Dakota Leads

At last! An opportunity to check out these missile silos.
Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile Site State Historical Society of North Dakota: "The new Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile State Historic Site actually consists of two sites telling the story of the Cold War years in North Dakota. They are the Oscar-Zero Missile Alert Facility and the November-33 Launch Facility. They are the last remnants of the 321st Missile Wing, a cluster of intercontinental ballistic missile launch sites that were spread over a 6,500-square-mile area around the Grand Forks Air Force Base. The Oscar Zero Launch Control Center and the November-33 Missile Facilty played an integral part in the Cold War in North Dakota and the world. This site is the last launch control center intact with the top-side of November 33 missile facility left intact."

Catholic convert and political commentator Robert Novak passes away

About the only agreement I found with Robert Novak was his decision to become a Roman Catholic. Still, he will be missed among the political pundits.

Catholic convert and political commentator Robert Novak passes away

N.Y. archbishop takes stock of challenges in the American Catholic Church

This article says it very well. These are the challenges we regularly address in our Pastoral Council discussions.

N.Y. archbishop takes stock of challenges in the American Catholic Church