Random thoughts and observations
A distant relative of mine, Theodorus Wassenberg, was a Divine Word missionary brother killed by the Japanese in World War Two.
Theodorus Joannes Hubertus Wassenberg was born at Roermond in the Netherlands on June 9, 1889.
His parents were devout Catholics and young Theo inherited their “deep piety”. In 1917 he became a brother in the Society of the Divine Word at Uden.
Ongoing revelations of sexual abuse by the clergy continue to rock Christian churches. While it’s true that all denominations have had to deal with this scourge, the Catholic Church appears to have more than its proportionate share of cases. Every time the issue seems to be under control, new reports emerge, most recently in Germany. [...]
The Irish Times reports that hotels in Limerick will be allowed to open on Good Friday this year for the first time because a major rugby match is being played in the town that day. Publicans took the matter to the District Court after permission to trade was initially refused. The Gardaí (police) objected, but [...]
I rather liked the media statement from the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide seeking to “reclaim” Valentine’s Day. The initiative provides parishes and Catholic school families with practical suggestions for celebrating St Valentine’s Day and encouraging married couples to spend more time together. The statement claims that St Valentine was executed on February 14, 269AD for [...]
I enjoyed reading The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff. The book mixes historical fact with modern fiction to describe the polygamous tradition of “plural marriage”, also known as “celestial marriage” in the early Mormon church, which continues among dissident fundamentalist sects today. Ebershoff writes well, with humor and irony. He transports the reader back in [...]
×0
