Oh yes. 10pm to 6am. Solid sleep. Unfortunately, I was not feeling well during the night, so I couldn't fully appreciate the milestone. We can only hope there will be countless more to come.

The very interesting writer John L'Heureux has a new novel out. It's called The Miracle and it's reviewed in the NYTimes here.

I've always preferred L'Heureux's short fiction to his novels, but perhaps this will even out the score. His story, "The Comedian" is a haunting, funny story about a female comedian pregnant with a child who won't stop singing in utero. It's insidious a pro-life story as you'll ever find.

Speaking of subtly, perhaps even reluctantly prolife fiction, check out the first story in the Best Short Stories of 2002. It's "Along the Frontage Road" by Michael Chabon. Even if you don't want to buy the book, you can sit in the bookstore cafe and read this story. There's a sad truth at the heart of it.

And speaking of writing about abortion in short form, although it's not fiction (sadly) don't forget the chapter on "Abortion" in Richard Selzer's Mortal Lessons. Give it to someone you know who's on the fence, and see if they don't fall right off.

Surprise. Holy Cross president disinvites Francis Kissling from speaking.

When Hobgood informed McFarland about the planned speech this month, McFarland replied in a letter that he found the invitation ''extremely disappointing'' because of what he called Kissling's record of ''determined opposition to the Catholic Church and its leadership.''

Kissling, a frequent commentator in the media, has denounced Pope John Paul II as ''authoritarian'' and referred to some US bishops as ''flawed'' and ''bullies.'' She has questioned the Vatican's permanent observer status at the UN and its positions on a range of sexual and ethical issues.

McFarland said he supported free speech and ''strong feminist positions'' at Holy Cross, but said the women's studies faculty should have been more careful in its choice of speakers.

''Her criticism has been strident, personal, manipulative, and unfair,'' McFarland wrote in the letter, a copy of which was provided to the Globe. ''Her presence will be deeply offensive to many people here, including me, and will be an embarrassment to the institution.''

Very nice, but how about, Ms. Kissling supports the purposeful killing of unborn human beings. We don't. So we're not going to bother with her.

Wouldn't that be a lot simpler?

The journey of a great organ from a demolished Catholic Church to a new home. In a Catholic church, surprisingly.

Cincinnati Archdiocese criticizes Proctor and Gamble's stem-cell research policy

A bitter clash between Greek Orthodox in...Charlotte NC

A look at Maronite rite Catholics in Seattle

Late bishop Lawrence Welsh of Spokane was accused of trying to strangle a prostitute

On Sept. 24, 1986, Graves and Robert Webb, both detectives, arrived at Welsh's home and described the complaint from Chicago.

Welsh, according to the one-page police report, admitted having been in Chicago on the date in question for a Knights of Columbus convention. Welsh at first told the detectives he picked up a drug addict and took him to his room at the Chicago Hilton for counseling.

"He gave us a song and dance. But we song and danced him into telling us what happened," Graves said. "Sometimes it takes hours to get a confession. This didn't take a long time."

According to both the 1986 report and his own recollection, Graves said Welsh admitted to everything in the Chicago complaint except for the level of violence against the victim.

Here is an excerpt from the report: "Mr. Welsh was reluctant to tell us the whole truth at first but as the interview went along he would reveal a little more of the truth all the time, until his version of what happened came pretty close as to what the victim had said. The only thing Mr. Welsh took exception to was the amount of violence used."