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Church

Salient Stuff from Bishop Wenski

Via In Pectore.

“The contraceptive mentality has eroded the foundations of our contemporary American family by weakening marriage and destroying the mutual trust between men and women which is the necessary cement that holds together any committed relationship. Legalized abortion has coarsened our regard for human life in all its stages as utilitarian criteria are more increasingly used to grant value or to decree no value to human beings, the slippery slope that pro-life leaders warned against in 1973 has arrived. Euthanasia, so-called therapeutic embryonic stem cell research, cloning are showing that Roe v. Wade reveals itself as the fault line of our culture which threatens the future of our democracy with a moral earthquake. Our culture needs some retrofitting as well. Roe v. Wade must be reversed.”

As In Pectore points out, His Grace is only 53 and the coadjutor bishop of Orlando. Why do they send the good bishops to diocese that, to a New Yorker, are seemingly arcane? I can’t wait for the day we hear of Cardinal Bruskewitz, Archbishop of New York and Cardinal Chaput, Archbishop of Los Angeles. Perchance to dream. Instead they stick these folks in Nebraska and Colorado (respectively) and give New York the mindless bureaucract/enemy-of-Christ Egan whilst Los Angeles has Mahoney, the demon cardinal.

June 24, 2004 2:17 am | Link | No Comments »

Can’t See the Forest for the Trees

Today I came upon this old article from the Christian Science Monitor.

NEW HAVEN, CONN. – Seminary studies once meant submersion in the finer points of Christian theology. Today, they can translate into submersion of a different kind – in the frigid waters of the Maine coast, for example. Bangor Theological Seminary is offering a week of sea kayaking in Penobscot Bay this summer as a noncredit course in “Wilderness Spirituality.”

With a 25 percent drop in enrollment since 1996, Bangor, like theological schools across the United States, faces the mounting challenge of making ends meet in an age when clergy retirements quickly outpace ordinations.

Translation: Seminary studies used to be about Christianity. Now its about kayaking. With offerings like Wilderness Spirituality, is anyone surprised by a 25 percent drop in enrollment?

[On Union Theological Seminary here in New York] Helping churchgoers respect the legitimacy of non-Christian religions is sure to be a Union mission in the future, [President] Hough says, and one that could attract a variety of benefactors.

These seminaries have been diluting Christianity for a generation now, and when they see they have no more students left, their ingenious solution is to dilute Christianity further. Further, and faster.

June 23, 2004 8:54 pm | Link | No Comments »

News from St. Nersess

The Armenian Seminary of St. Nersess has begun work on a massive extension which will greatly enhance their facilities. New Rochelle’s St. Nersess, in Stratton Road near Iona Prep, is the only seminary of the Armenian Apostolic Church (not in communion with Rome) that’s outside Armenia. The building it currently is house in was formerly owned by William Randolph Hearst. He never actually lived in it himself, but lent it out to friends he knew would be staying in New York. A new library and chapel will be built to serve the growing institution.

Ever explorers, fellow Thorntonian Lucas de Soto and I decided to check it out one day. The people there were incredibly inviting, and quite interesting as well. We just popped in without them expecting us and we got a short tour, as well as a conversation with who we were late told is “the world’s foremost expert on Armenian history.” We were also offered the chance to take Armenian language classes on the cheap, an idea which I found intriguing at the time. I still wouldn’t mind having a detailed knowledge of Armenian, but I’m crap with languages.

For more on St. Nersess, check out their website here.

June 19, 2004 11:50 pm | Link | No Comments »

The Exorcist…

The entire movie in thirty seconds, re-enacted by bunnies: hilarity!

June 15, 2004 11:31 am | Link | No Comments »

Sun Myung Moon Crowned Messiah in Washington, D.C.

In one of those truly bizarre things that you really have to see to believe, multimillionaire “Reverend” Sun Myung Moon was crowned messiah on March 13, 2004 in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC. Attending the ceremony were apparently seventy-one congressmen, including two senators, dozens of ambassadors to the United States, and various other figures from the religious and political establishments of the nation. Rev. Moon runs the ‘Unification Church’ cult, as well as owning the faux conservative Washington Times and a number of other media outlets worldwide. (more…)

June 14, 2004 4:32 am | Link | 10 Comments »

Those Crazy CFRs!


Photo: BBC

June 10, 2004 9:22 pm | Link | No Comments »

Altar at Our Lady of Walsingham

Check out the high altar in the brand new Church of Our Lady of Walsingham in Texas. The church was designed by HDB, formerly known as Cram and Ferguson. They are the firm responsible for the second plan for the Cathedral of St. John the Divine here in New York. (The design most completed of the three so far). A new stained glass window has since been installed behind it, and more glass is to come. Visit the Church’s website here.

June 7, 2004 8:43 am | Link | No Comments »

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