Good Fridays: Wombs, Beers, and Digital Digs

Ok, so I thought “Clever Catholics” was a clever name for my Friday post. But some people thought it had a bit of a mischievous undertone to it. So I think we’re just gonna go with “Good Fridays.” I like that better anyway (and everybody likes a good Friday).

So here’s some good stuff goin’ on in the Church:

Lessons from the Counter-reformation - Surely the Church has a lot of lessons-learned in the past in dealing with crisis. Now is a time we can look back for some help in “detoxifying” the Catholic “brand” and improving public relations. Fr. Lucie-Smith has some really great insights. This is how we need to be thinking.

Peeking into the window of the womb - Reports say that 90% of women considering abortion choose to keep their baby once they view their baby on an ultrasound. Now that sounds like a practical bit of info we can work with. And the Knights of Columbus are doing just that by helping make available as many ultrasound machines as possible for pregnancy centers. In fact, if your (qualifying) organization/center wants an ultrasound machine, just raise half the money and the Knights of Columbus will match it! (I’m embedding a video about this initiative at the bottom of this post.)

See you at the bar - This is a nice story of a priest inviting some parishioners out to the bar and the good things that came from it. Not a bad idea, me thinks.

Speaking of - have you heard of CatholicDrinkie.com? It’s name is a play off of the popular “Catholic Foodie” podcast…except it involves good drink!  If you like beer, wine and drinks, you should check it out. It’s neat to remind others (and ourselves) that being Catholic is a cheerful celebration involving the appreciation of creation. I even wrote a post recently as a contributor.

New digital digs - The Vatican website is finally getting a long overdue makeover!  This is a very important website with the potential to significantly change the way the Church is perceived in the world. In the coming years, many, many people in the world will be looking to the Vatican website to see what this whole Catholicism thing is all about. Please pray for those leading this effort. It’s a big task and so very important.

Timelessly Novel - This was awhile back, but this lady had a really great idea to give up her life to serve and love others in a radical way. I think she was rather effective. Oh, and it was her 100th birthday yesterday, too. (Check out her 7 Steps to a holier life).

College Roll Call - I know there aren’t very many college students out there…especially ones in need of prayer. (not). But just in case you do happen to be one, or you happen to be the parent or family member of one, here’s a neat post of prayer warriors just for you.

Who are you following? - Cute video:

Here’s that KofC Ultrasound Initiative video I was talking about:

Good Fridays is a weekly 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.