Archbishop O'Malley's homily

Book Report:

I got about halfway through Billiards at Half-Past Nine, but it kind of swamped me in post-World War II German Catholic interior monologue and I needed a break. I'll get back to it, but other books are calling my name at this point.

I'd highly recommend Birdsong, a rich, devastating novel that's mostly about World War I, but also, in general, about where we find meaning in life when death surrounds us. The only negatives is the modern sublot, which seems a rather strained inorganic attempt to draw the past and present together. Could have been done with more subtlety.

Now (besides work-related books on various topics), I'm about 2/3 way through The Emperor of Ocean Park, by legal scholar and serious Christian Stephen Carter. It's okay. It's got a nice variety of characters - love those pro-life lesbians, but it's also got a chess thematic thread that is supposed to enlighten me, but really only confuses me, a still very-murky mystery, and long, long scenes and conversations that scream out for an editor. A little disappointing, so far.

I've added a new category of links to the left rail: issue-specific blogs. More coming.

Byron York looks at the Pryor flap

If you'd like to buy any of our books via Amazon, please consider doing it through this online bookstore which Michael is working on.

I put the Miracle of Sharing column up. It's bare-bones, and not very pretty, but there it is.

Candian Catholic bishops will go to court to argue against same-sex marriage

Archbishop scolds Chretien

On Pryor:

Is the opposition anti-Catholic or not?

Richard Cohen says no

So do liberal religious groups

Diocese of Orange in CA dithers, wondering if downloading child pornography falls under "zero tolerance."

Who in their right mind would need even one second to wonder about this? In what ecclesiological universe is a man who views child pornography a fit candidate for priesthood?

One of many stories on O'Malley's installation as Archbishop of Boston today.