Sister Gemma Legel wanted to help her students in Westland, Mich., learn about the saints in a more interactive way earlier this week. So, instead of her usual catechism class at Divine Savior Catholic Church, the students brought the parade of saints to life. They each dressed up as their chosen saint (there were several Joan of Arcs in attendance, for instance) and gave a presentation about that saint.
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News reports abounded yesterday about Halloween costumes that were age-inappropriate or too “sexy.” So perhaps it wasn’t surprising that one New Jersey 8th grader was sent home to change when his costume was deemed too distracting. What caused the Associated Press to pick up the story for national circulation, however, was the fact that Alex Woinski, an honor-roll student from an interfaith family, had chosen to wear a white robe, a red sash, sandals, and a crown of thorns.
God of grace,
we thank for the saints whom we ourselves
have known and loved.
It does not come easily to us to call them saints,
it seems as if ordinary mortals
are not good or great enough.
All Hallows—or All Saints as we know it now is something of a confusion in these latter days. Who we remember, what we remember, and why has been blurred: sometimes on accident, sometimes on purpose. All Saints, All Souls, and the difference between them lie at the intersection of the Church’s musings on Scripture, on the Church Expectant, the Church Triumphant, and the overarching principle of the baptized dead knit into the living Christ.
An Episcopal parish in Staten Island has been the site of some ghostly investigations according to news reports. St. Andrew’s on Staten Island allowed a organization to come in to look for evidence of “paranormal” activity and the report of the investigations is to be released just in time of Halloween.
Bearman and Brückner have also identified a peculiar dilemma: in some schools, if too many teens pledge, the effort basically collapses. Pledgers apparently gather strength from the sense that they are an embattled minority; once their numbers exceed thirty per cent, and proclaimed chastity becomes the norm, that special identity is lost.
There’s a short announcement on the Forward in Faith website that announces that Bishop Ackerman will remain as president of Forward in Faith following his
The Bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada have concluded their first gathering since they participation in the Lambeth Conference. They’ve released a statement in which they pledge to uphold the three moratoria until the 2010 General Synod.
Following the discussions on the proposed Anglican Covenant in Lambeth this summer, the Covenant Design group has met in Singapore and released a compilation of the concerns raised by the bishops this summer. In addition they have outlined the next steps that they suggest be taken in the process and included a questionnaire.