This week for your reading pleasure, a few bits of randomness.
In the "Wise as Serpents and Harmless as Doves" department, Cardinal Timothy Dolan has certainly silenced some of his critics by scoring the closing benedictions of both the Republican and the Democratic National Conventions. The invitation from the Democrats came (1) after initially snubbing his offer to appear and (2) recent polling showing that the recent controversies over the HHS Mandate have cut into their support among Catholics. They seem to believe that Americans will be fooled by having the good Cardinal speak at the end of a Convention that is going to be an abortion-fest. In all, Cardinal Dolan once again has shown himself to be surprisingly politically astute for a member of the Church hierarchy. Rather than appearing to favor one candidate or party over another, most Americans will see him as an honest broker who places principle over party. His appearance at the conventions, when combined with his support of the Knights of Columbus' Civility Campaign, seems to indicate that Cardinal Dolan is trying to fill the role of the Nation's Pastor, a role that has been vacant since the end of Billy Graham's public ministry.
If you want an easy way of reading the best in Catholic blogging, go over to The Big Pulpit. Every day, Tito Edwards lists articles of note (and I'm not just saying that because he's been kind enough to list three of mine) from a variety of blogs. There's enough reading there everyday to give you a good perspective on what's going on in the Catholic blogosphere.
Mark your calendars for September 28 at 10:00 pm. That is the night of the Season 3 premier of Blue Bloods on CBS. As I've said before, it's the most pro-Catholic show on television. Not to mention one of the best shows overall.
Our daughter, Maggie, has started her Senior year. It's our last year of homeschooling (cheers and sighs all around) and the end of an era. To complete her English credit, she's learning the fine art of blogging. Please check out her blog, "Blue Denim Skirts and Red High Heels."
Some of you may have noticed that I've started an online Amazon affiliate bookstore. Check it out!This Saturday Susan and I are going to Emmitsburg. Maryland for the day. We're planning on visiting the Shrine of Elizabeth Ann Seton and the Lourdes Grotto at Mt. St. Mary's University. We're really nerdy Catholics; this is our idea of a great date! Our ultimate vacation idea is visiting EWTN and Mother Angelica's nuns. Anyone else enjoy visiting Catholic sites?
If you're looking for a movie to go to this weekend, go see The Odd Life of Timothy Green. I went last weekend with Maggie, somewhat against my will (it had been a while since we had had a daddy-daughter date). I have to admit I loved it. A fantastic, inspirational, pro-family and pro-life movie. I'm giving you fair warning, however: take tissues. I cried five times in 1 hour and 45 minutes. Next week I hope to have a longer blog post reviewing the movie.
For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!
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