Category: Children
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Non Solum: Children at Mass
“The presence of children is a gift to the Church and they are a reminder that our parish is growing.”
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“And my confirmation name is…”
During a recent confirmation service I attended, I was struck — once again — by the fact that every candidate announced a “confirmation name” they had chosen. For one, I am always intrigued by the names that come to be chosen. I think it reveals something about a spiritual journey if you name yourself after,…
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It’s time
Anna Nussbaum Keating suggests that it’s time we reconsider the Latin Catholic tradition of withholding communion until age 7. I couldn’t agree more. Here are three little facts about “age seven communion” you might not know.
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Re-Reading Sacrosanctum Concilium: Article 69
Given their concern that the liturgical sign systems clearly express the grace that they intend to communicate (the “truth” of the liturgy), it is not surprising that the Council Fathers would turn their attention to two pastoral situations not well served by the rites in force at the time of the Council.
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Infant Baptism and Disparity of Cult
The revision of the ritual of infant baptism to include and acknowledge the important role of the parents in transmitting the faith is in most circumstances salutary; in the case of a Catholic father and a Jewish mother, it was awkward because it didn’t reflect the complexities of their lives.
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Does the Altar Need to Be Guarded?
A new order of acolytes raises questions about bogus skills and hierarchy.
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Re-Reading Sacrosanctum Concilium: Article 67
In accord with the principle of the “truth” of the rite that we have seen earlier, the Council Fathers decree that the actual capabilities of the infants being baptized are to be reflected in the texts and ceremonies used.
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The Baptism of Prince George, Senator Paul Simon, and Me
Britain’s Prince George, third in line to the throne, was baptized in a small private service at St. James Palace. But a conversation I had years ago with the late Senator Paul Simon makes me wonder what his baptism might have been like, had it happened elsewhere . . .
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The Boston Bombings and the Body of Christ
The UK Jesuit online magazine, Thinking Faith, asked me if I had any thoughts on the Boston bombings, seeing as I was more or less on the spot. In the end what emerged was a reflection about Corpus Christi. But it turned out as something of a rumination on the idea of real, sacramental presence…