Mid-City Christian: U.S. CATHOLIC

September 9, 2014

Keep cry rooms around, and save parents' sanity

Everyone can use a good cry now and then, especially children in church. Let's make sure they have a place to let it out.

On a scale of one to 10, my kid goes to 11. At age 4, he's high energy, high intelligence, and often highly challenging. I love everything about my little wild man until Sunday morning comes and we're at Mass and everyone's staring at me like I brought an ape into the room. My husband and I are acutely aware of our little ape's shenanigans. We shush. We chide. We whisper heatedly into his ear. We take him to the restroom and talk to him about appropriate church behavior. We point out better-behaved children. We explain the mystery of the Mass. We offer treats and books. We threaten. We occasionally literally cover his mouth with our hands. Read more.

Bringing the energy from World Youth Day home

Millions of young Catholics are engaged and energized by World Youth Day. So why can't they get excited about their own local church?

I traveled 5,375 miles to clap. It's not as simple as it sounds. Clapping is more than just a routine motion--it needs purpose. We clap when we're excited or proud. We clap to show appreciation or to join a communal rhythm. Purpose is what I found myself needing as I boarded a plane to Brazil for World Youth Day last summer. I needed the Catholic Church to give me reasons to clap. Read more.

Should girls be allowed to serve at the altar?

When girls are barred from being altar servers, they miss out on an important part of faith formation--and the church does too.

I recently went back to my home parish for Mass for the first time after returning from college. My eyes snapped to the altar servers, and I watched closely throughout Mass as they seamlessly executed their tasks-processed up the aisle, held candles during the readings, led the priest to the ambo for the gospel, and washed his hands. I was proud. I had served from fourth grade all the way through high school, and I had personally trained all of the servers who were on the altar that day. Read more.

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Take the Rice Bucket Challenge! (No, that's not a typo.)

If you're sick of hearing about that other bucket-based fundraiser that's been all the rage this summer, here's a slightly different cause that you can support.

The Rice Bucket Challenge is a concept developed by a 38-year-old Indian woman who works for the rice research website Oryza.com. The concept is catching on in South Asia with people posting their donation photos on Facebook and challenging friends to do the same. The program aims to help feed the hungry and to raise awareness about hunger issues. And best of all, there's no wasted water--an especially important consideration during World Water Week. Read more.

Are Catholic conservatives turning on Cardinal Timothy Dolan?

Cardinal Timothy Dolan's positive reaction to the decision by organizers of New York's annual St. Patrick's Day parade to allow gay groups to march under their own banners has earned him the stink-eye from some conservative church critics.

After initially signaling his grudging acceptance, William Donohue of the Catholic League came back with a revised view when he realized that more than one gay group could be allowed to march in the future. "The goal of these activists, supported by the corporate elite, is to neuter the religious element of the parade," Donohue said. "This is an Irish-Catholic parade, and if what comes after the hyphen is cut, so will the parade's support, beginning with the Catholic League." Read more.

Listen: Put Your Needle Down

The Secret Sisters (Universal Republic Records, 2014)

Nothing quite divides audiences like country music. Some love it. Some hate it. Even those who love country music can make sharp distinctions between contemporary country and classic country. Recently, the singing pair of Laura and Lydia Rogers of the Secret Sisters emerged onto the country music scene with haunting harmonies that recalled the past in a beguiling way. Their debut album established their fondness for Hank Williams and George Jones while nevertheless showcasing their own songwriting credentials with original songs. Read more.