Good Fridays: Powerful, Dumb and Cool

Some good things these past few weeks:

Pope makes Forbes list of most powerful people - I just thought this was neat to see our Pope so high on the list (#5).  And he is really the only “moral leader” in the top 30. He’s the man.

Vatican Library opens doors to public - “Will your travels take you to Rome between November 11 (next Thursday) and Jan. 31, 2011? If so, then put on your itinerary a very special exhibition organized by Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi and the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana. It’s a one-of-a-kind opportunity to step inside the recently restored Vatican Library to see for yourself one of the most important collection of historical texts, ancient coins and manuscripts.”

New: Catholic Media Guild - Here’s a new website for Catholic Media. It looks great and already has some great content on it…such as articles like, “How to pick a title for your podcast or radio show”, “Kickstart your Parish Presence in Social Media”, “How to help your priest with New Media”, etc.

Same Sex Marriage: Why not? - The Diocese of Sacramento, using YouTube, works with Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse to address the “often heated and emotionally charged topic of “Same Sex Marriage” with a reasoned analysis. Employing principles of law, biology, and sociology, Dr. Morse - a former Yale professor - rationally demonstrates the unseen harm this contemporary invention will impose upon society.”

Is the internet making us dumber? - This is an excellent article by Dr. Benjamin Wiker and a great reflection on how the use of technology is affecting the way we are able to process information in this Information Age.

Take some Catholic Action - “Catholic Action for Faith and Family is an association of Catholics that strives to uphold and defend Christian values inspired by the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. It aims to provide a network of resources and activities for clergy and laity to inspire them to reach out to others in an active way to defend these values.” Lots of good stuff from Cardinal-designate Burke.

There be dragons - There Be Dragons is an epic action-adventure romance set during the turmoil of the Spanish Civil War…and it’s the story of St. Josemaria Escriva.

Pro-life Pumpkin Contest Winner - American Life League had their second annual pro-life pumpkin carving contest. Last year’s winner was very impressive.  I think this year’s is just as good.

Cool it! - That’s what one guy is saying about all the global warming and environmentalist hype. But he’s still a believer.

Catholic Family Night - An easy way to create an activity or discussion with your family in order to reflect upon the Sunday Mass readings and to spend quality time together.

Catholic Trivia - Catholic Match rolls out a new Catholic Trivia feature that lets contestants test their knowledge of the Catholic faith and history.

Fighting misinformation about overpopulation - “Population Research Institute is an international non-profit which works to end coercive population control, and fight the myth of overpopulation which fuels it.”

Raised in a porn shop - This is an interesting blog written from the perspective of somebody who was raised in a family who owned porn shops.

Pro-life Christmas Poster - Jesus in the womb: “He’s on His Way”

Have a Good Friday and a great weekend everybody!

Good Fridays is a periodic series highlighting some good things going on in the Church - especially those using new media or innovative ideas to more effectively live out the mission of the Church. Please email or tweet me with any such things you’d like to share!