Vatican Exhibit Moves to Cincinnati

Or as Joseph calls it Cincianna (I think he would prefer if it were in Indiana).



Sounds like the perfect way to break up a long trip to Tennessee later this month.



From The Enquirer (Not the National but the Cincinnati):



Moving a show as monumental as Saint Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes could be considered a divine challenge.



When the show closed in Fort Lauderdale in late November, the second city on its four-city, 18-month tour, organizers had roughly four weeks to pack up and move the show to the next stop. Last week, the 350 artworks and historically significant objects arrived at Cincinnati Museum Center. On Monday, staff began unpacking sets and scenery.



"We have so much stuff, and we do it in a relatively short amount of time," says Jeffrey Wyatt, vice president of production for Clear Channel Exhibitions, producers of the show.



"There are the art, objects, environments and videos to move in under 28 days. That's very fast for this type of thing, but we want to maximize the amount of time we can be open to the public with only four cities."



Saint Peter and the Vatican: The Legacy of the Popes opens Dec. 20 at the Museum Center. One of the most ambitious exhibitions to be mounted in the Queen City, it covers more than 2,000 years of Western civilization. It is the largest exhibition of Vatican art to be shown in North America. It premiered in Houston in March and will move on to San Diego when its Cincinnati run ends April 18.

Gifts for Family or the Poor

A personally autographed book makes the perfect gift, not to mention that books that help someone come closer to Christ (the whole reason for the season) and the Mass (the name of the feast--Christ Mass). Amy's page has all the details:

Amy Welborn and Michael Dubruiel's Books

New Apostolic Letter

As best I can tell, it recommends renewed appreciation for a variety of aspects of the liturgy including "hush" as the crappy translation tools available online translate the Italian word for silence. Also renews a stress on sacred music and fuller use of the Liturgy of the Hours by all Christians.

Saint Nicholas Paid a Visit to a Local Catholic Bookstore Yesterday

And Joseph received a few more chocolate coins besides the ones he found in his shoe on Saturday morning.









Here is a thought, why don't Catholics and Orthodox Christians make an all out attempt to reclaim the person of Saint Nicholas transforming him back into a bishop and emphasizing bringing gifts to the poor. In fact wouldn't it be a great idea to make Christmas not a time of exchanging gifts with each other but of totally directing our gift giving to the poor. Think of the great good that could be done if we spent even a fraction of what we waste on useless gifts that often are expensive if we gave like amounts to help feed, clothe and house the truly poor.

Feast of St. Nicholas

Shoes here were filled with coins this morning--gold ones filled with chocolate!



Check out Amy's post at open book on St. Nicholas.



Catholics everywhere should try to recapture this Saint's feast and slowly reel jolly St. Nick back to his sainted origin.

New Apostolic Letter on the Liturgy

It is only up in Italian so far. I can read the first line, a quote from the Book of Revelation, "The Spirit and the Bride say: Come!" which is a great way to begin a letter on the Liturgy. That's what its all about, inviting Our Lord to Come again!



It also isn't very long.



From the Vatican:



"1. 'Lo Spirito e la Sposa dicono: ‘Vieni!’. "

Did Murdered Priest Pose a Threat to Killer?

Interesting tale about a priest who was murdered several years ago, who it turns out was the source for the Roman Catholic Faithful's Stephen Brady.



From "Priest Knew Too Much?" By Matt C. Abbott posted Dec 2, 2003, 12:20:



"Kunz was an advisor to the Illinois-based Roman Catholic Faithful (RCF), headed by lay Catholic activist Stephen Brady. RCF investigated the misdeeds of the now-former bishop of Springfield, Ill., Daniel Ryan. (For more information about RCF's work, visit www.rcf.org.)



The police are, understandably, very tight-lipped about the status of their investigation into the Kunz homicide. But they remain steadfastly determined to solve the case, despite what some individuals have surmised. The fact is we (read: concerned Catholics) don't know what they know. And they probably know a lot more than we might think they do. In fact, press reports have stated that the police have interviewed over 1,000 people during the course of their ongoing investigation.



So if and when the case is finally solved, we'll know for sure. We'll know the full story. But, until then, all we have is speculation. Educated speculation, that is. And, I would submit, a little educated speculation - coupled with a lot of prayer - can go a long way."