Psalms function as a prism helping us to see the many colorful manifestations of the divine presence, sometimes hidden in the depths of our own lives. (Unsplash/Benoumechiara)
When I was growing up in the early 1950s on the far South Side of the very Catholic city of Chicago, one of our neighbors scoffed at Lent. I always give up watermelon and large curd cottage cheese, he proclaimed every year as Lent rolled around. He was a faithful churchgoer, a member of the Holy Name Society and always attended the annual parish mission. But for him, Lent was a loser.
Father Kenneth Doyle
By Father Kenneth Doyle • Catholic News Service • Posted January 29, 2021
Q. Some of my fondest memories of parenthood include attending, in the 1960s, Mass and a breakfast meeting afterward with my four sons that was sponsored by an organization called the Holy Name Society. It seemed to me an effective way to involve parish families in worship and fellowship. (My boys developed the term “Holy Name Eggs” for the concoction of bacon bits and scrambled eggs that was served.)
Does such an organization still exist; and if not, what caused its demise? Could it and should it be revived? (Minong, Wisconsin)
President Biden may attend Mass, but policies on abortion alienate him from conservative Catholics
Updated Jan 29, 2021;
Posted Jan 29, 2021
President Joe Biden has long been a devout Catholic, but now his progressive views on issues such as abortion have alienated him from more progressive factions in the church. Biden is seen here with his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, attending Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle during Inauguration Day ceremonies.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci) APAP
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One of the first things President Joe Biden did before taking his presidential oath last week was to attend Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, site of the funeral of the nation’s first Roman Catholic president, John F. Kennedy.
Q. I have often heard in church the prayer which goes, May his/her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. It has caused me to wonder why we pray only for the souls of the faithful departed.
Shouldn t we also pray for the souls of those who may have struggled with their faith or who may never have had the opportunity to learn about God? Could we pray instead for the souls of all the departed children of God, rather than focusing only on those who were faithful? (Indianapolis)
A. I couldn t agree more: We should pray for all those who have passed from this life into eternity. And we do. Prompted by your question, I decided to take a closer look at the four eucharistic prayers for the Mass, one of which is commonly selected for use at parish Masses and I think you will be comforted by the language.
Detail of Evil by Ed Ruscha, screenprint on wood veneer, 1973, 19 7/8 x 30 1/8 , featured in Ed Ruscha: OKLA, running Feb. 18 to July 5, 2021 at Oklahoma Contemporary (Courtesy of the artist and Gagosian)
If Ed Ruscha s name is unfamiliar, you re in extensive company. Since 2015, Google searches for obsolete mimeographs have outpaced those for the Catholic-born octogenarian, whom museums practically venerate, from the London Tate to Los Angeles Broad. For those who extol price tags, a 1964 Ruscha oil painting sold in Nov. 2019 for nearly $52.5 million.
If you ve reached the Museum of Modern Art s 404 error page, you ve seen Ruscha s OOF (1962) blocky, yellow letters against a deep blue field. Everyone understands the word oof, though it s nonsensical, according to independent scholar and curator Alexandra Schwartz, who finds the work amusing. It sums up how he takes verbal language and turns it into something visual in a way that you don t expect, sh