When Mary Was Mixed Race: Mary and a Catholic Approach to Social Justice

Praised Be Jesus!

I hope that everyone is doing well and navigating the crazy change of weather — Jersey has been a mess! As we journey on now that the Synod of the Family has drawn to a close, and we will soon see what the Holy Father plans to do with the challenges facing the modern family. Many of the issues in the modern world do fall into the realm of Catholic social teaching and how we are to respond to the many cultural and justice issues in our day-to-day lives.

SAINTATHON 2015: Dem Bones: The Power and Mystery of the Holy Relics

The major relics of Saint Maria Goretti on tour in Philadelphia

Praised Be Jesus!

In recent weeks, the Catholic world has been abuzz, first and foremost for Pope Francis' visit to the U.S. and the effects it had on believers and nonbelievers alike. But a curious, little-known event coincided with the Holy Father's visit to the U.S. On Monday, September 21, the skeletal remains of Saint Maria Goretti, the youngest canonized saint in the modern history of the Catholic Church, made their first stop on their tour of the U.S. This tour is in honor of the Year of Mercy, which Pope Francis will proclaim later this year. Also in recent news, it was made known that the remains of Saint Thérèse and her parents would be exposed during the whole of the Synod on the Family.

But why? Many people ask this question. What is so special about the bones of the saints who have already entered eternal glory? Isn't the practice of relics something that was stopped after the Second Vatican Council?

So, You've Decided to Report on the Catholic Church: A Journalistic Primer

Welcome to America, Pope Francis! To celebrate your arrival, all of the U.S. press have been instructed to watch this educational film so that your visit is covered accurately and fairly. We hope you enjoy your stay!

Well, hello there! If you're watching this short film, then you're about to start a promising career in the world of journalism. In this profession, you are tasked with bringing the news to the people, free of bias or prejudice. In today's lesson, we're going to cover the Do's and Don'ts of Reporting on the Catholic Church. Let's get started, shall we?

A Theology of the Selfie

A guest post by Tatiana Lozano

The vanity.

The posing.

The infamous duckface.

Such is the prototype of the ever-notorious selfie. But this is not just fun and games. These images have fed into the stereotypes of our youth — supposedly brimming with greediness, sloth, and entitled behavior. The selfie is therefore not merely another trend.

It has become the Anti-Icon of the Millennial Generation.

But what exactly do I mean? I'm not defining "icon" in the way we speak of celebrities or American apple pie. The Church has icons of her own, particularly in the East — a tradition of paint, wood, and gold passed down through the centuries. They, however, do not exist solely as objects of art.

CAPTION THIS: When Rome Met Alexandria

Coptic Bishop: "Papa! Papa! Look what we drew!"
Francis: "Oh, how lovely! This is going right on the fridge." *slips into drawer*
(Full story here, here, here and here. Picture c/o: Vatican Radio English)

It's our first caption contest of the year! Joy! Mega-thanks to everyone who participated in our last caption contest. Without further ado, the winner is...

The Myth and Distraction of Liberal and Conservative Catholicism

"Haters gonna hate."

And not for them only do I pray, but for them also who through their word shall believe in me; That they all may be one, as thou, Father, in me, and I in thee; that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou hast given me, I have given to them; that they may be one, as we also are one: I in them, and thou in me; that they may be made perfect in one: and the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast also loved me. Father, I will that where I am, they also whom thou hast given me may be with me; that they may see my glory which thou hast given me, because thou hast loved me before the creation of the world. Just Father, the world hath not known thee; but I have known thee: and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have made known thy name to them, and will make it known; that the love wherewith thou hast loved me, may be in them, and I in them. —John 17:20-26

CAPTION THIS: When Peter Met Andrew

"It's okay, Frank. I won't let anyone know you drank all of the communion wine. We'll just blame Kirill."
(Full story here. Picture c/o: Catholic News Service)

We're back! It's only been... two months, really? Well, fine. Thank you to everyone who participated in our last caption contest. The winner (finally) is...

SAINTATHON 2014: Day 5 - Saint Joan of Arc

Praised Be Jesus!

I hope this post finds everyone well and that God is blessing you through the intercession of all His holy ones this week! A few weeks ago, Pope Francis got some heat after a homily he gave after the preliminary meeting for the Synod on the Family, about how God is a God of "surprises", and he gave some examples of how God has surprised His people throughout history. Today, we turn to focus on one of my favorite Saints, Saint Joan of Arc (also the favorite Saint of my Patron Saint, Thérèse of Lisieux), or as I like to call her, "The Saint who was God's surprise."

Lean Stupid: msnbc Tackles Catholicism and Science, Fails Miserably

"Oh, are we seriously having this discussion again? Fine. ANDREA! HOLD MY CALLS!"

So, there's this guy, right? His name is Daniel Berger, and he fancies himself a "Political Junkie/Policy Wonk" and is msnbc's Community Editor. He's kind of a big deal.

He also just so happened to have the most popular article on msnbc.com for much of Tuesday, featuring this completely-not-sensationalistic-and-totally-journalistic headline:

Pictured: Subtlety.

The article in question covers Pope Francis' recent comments supporting the theories of evolution and the Big Bang, asserting that he is taking Church teaching in a new direction and contradicting the theology of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. As a really important, obviously qualified journalist™, surely Dan's got his facts right? Right?

CAPTION THIS: When Francis Met Food

"Psst! Should I tell the Holy Father not to place his elbows on the table?"
"Giorgio, the man is the shepherd of over 1.2 billion souls. I think we can cut him some slack."
(Full story here. Picture c/o: AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano)

Happy August, everyone! We're officially entering the dog days of summer (for those of you reading this in the Northern Hemisphere which, let's be honest, is almost all of you), and what better way to pass the time than to enter yet another caption contest?! I mean, besides barbecuing and going to the beach. Whatever. The cool kids always leave me out of these things...

Where were we? Oh, yes. The winner of our last caption contest is...

CAPTION THIS: When Pope Met Peek

The Holy Father still hadn't quite figured out the mechanics of hide-and-seek.
(Full story here. Picture c/o: Vatican Radio English)

Happy summer, dear readers! Thanks to all of you who participated in our last caption contest. In the spirit of fraternity and ecumenism, I shan't mock the losers (out loud), but I will heap praise upon the winner, who is...

CAPTION THIS: When Pope Met Patriarch

Bartholomew: "Your Holiness, you have a spot on your cassock!"
Francis: "Why thank you, Your All Holiness. Do you happen to have any hyssop with which you can purge me?"
(Full coverage here and here. Picture c/o: Ecumenical Patriarchate)

Thank you to everyone who submitted to our last caption contest! As always, we appreciate all of your efforts and what-not, but only one of you can win, to the eternal shame of the rest of you. AND THE GRAND PRIZE (of nothing) GOES TO...

CAPTION THIS: When Pope Met Prance

"'Become the first Latin American Pope,' they said... 'You can teach the young people the Argentine tango,' they said..." (Picture c/o: AP)

Thank you all for contributing to our last caption contest! We had some brilliant submissions, but there can be only one...

A Call for Unity This Holy Pascha

"We really can't be photographed together like this, Your Holiness. That horrid American blog will make a caption contest about us!"

And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen... —Luke 24:5-6

Moments of Grace and Negative Nancies

Praised Be Jesus, everyone!

It is upon us! We are in Holy Week! And the dawn of the Solemnities of Solemnities, the great Feast of Resurrection, is upon us! As we plunge into this great week of the mystery of our salvation, may we all seek a deeper entrance into the Passion of Christ.

Now that I have all you good Catholics' attention, let's talk about Nancy Pelosi. To be honest, this article has nothing to do with Nancy Pelosi's political positions, nor where she stands in opposition to Catholic teaching. Earlier this month, it made news that Barack Obama had given a rosary blessed by Pope Francis to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. The article caused a little bit of an uproar, and some were outraged and considered this an act of sacrilege — a slap in the face to the faithful. I would like to offer another look at the situation.

CAPTION THIS: When His Holiness Met Her Majesty

Elizabeth: "...and I thought this Chardonnay would be just lovely during one of your services."
Francis: "Oh, Liz. Our Lord only drank red wine, but I do appreciate that you Anglicans were thinking of the Real Presence when planning my presents!"
(Full story here. Picture c/o: Vatican Radio English)

We were most amused by your entries in our last caption contest. Our subjects presented many offerings, and although they were all quite adequate, only one took home the royal prize:

The Theology of Cosplay

Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh. —Romans 13:14

CAPTION THIS: When Pope Met Prez

Obama: "Your Holiness, uh, I think that when all's said and done, uhhh, you'll see things my way. It's the right thing to do."
Francis: "I intend no disrespect, Mr. President, but to qualify for Sainthood, you have to be Catholic — and dead!"
(Full story here. Picture c/o: Vatican Radio English)

Thanks to everyone who contributed to our last caption contest! This one was really difficult to judge (stop being so talented, dammit — just stop it), but in the end, we had to pick a winner...

Quit Pretending You're Better Than Fred Phelps

I can totally feel God's love, you guys.

As all of you know by now, Fred Phelps is dead. He was most famously known for his and his family's protests at funerals — often but not always of U.S. soldiers — because, according to them, virtually every bad thing ever (and I mean everything, even tornadoes) was the direct result of America's tolerance of homosexuality. I say tolerance, not acceptance, because Phelps argued that sodomy should not only be illegal — it should be a capital offence. The Church was also a favourite target of the Phelps clan, who regularly picketed Catholic churches and other houses of worship; they even dedicated an entire Web site to attacking her, which I will not link here.

Predictably, many responses to his death welcomed it, with some reactions outright gleeful. The argument goes that since Phelps spent his life disrespecting the dead with hateful, vulgar protests, his death should be met in kind. Because... tolerance?

I'll cut to the chase: This post is not about Fred Phelps, despite its title. It's about you.

CAPTION THIS: When il Papa Met il Bambino

"Shhh... Don't cry, little one. I didn't outlaw the Traditional Latin Mass. Didn't your mother ever tell you Rorate Cæli is bad for you?" (Full story here. Picture c/o: L'Osservatore Romano/Reuters)

Thank you to everyone who participated in our last caption contest! We finally finished eating the chocolate Pope evaluating the entries, and the winner is...

Sue, who reminds us of the true meaning of Easter:

"Ehhhh, it's OK. But it's no Cadbury Creme Egg."

 An honourable mention is also awarded to Rachel Chamberlain, who kept her focus on Lent:

"Man, you get the feeling that they really want me to have a daily reminder that to dust I shall return."

Brava, ladies! Gentlemen, don't be such crybabies over your loss. You fought the good fight, and you can take up arms again by leaving your captions in the comments below!