In the Ideas section of today's Globe, I have a story looking at medical miracles and the canonization process in light of the Vatican's recent announcement that the healing of a local man's back pain was a miracle attributable to Cardinal John Henry Newman, who died more than a century ago and is now a candidate for sainthood. An excerpt:

"The very idea of miracles may seem deeply at odds with modernity - the word, for many, conjures up images of biblical events like the parting of the Red Sea, or the raising of Lazarus; or paranormal phenomena, like weeping statues and apparitions of the Virgin Mary. But miracles remain an official part of the church bureaucracy, in large part because two official miracles are necessary before someone can be declared a saint - one for beatification, and the second for canonization.

Pope John Paul II, in fact, canonized people at a record-breaking rate, and Benedict, although acting at a slower pace than his predecessor, is still declaring saints in historically high numbers. So over the last several decades, there has been a paradoxical confluence of two phenomena: at the same time that medical science has become increasingly adept at explaining how the human body heals, the Roman Catholic Church is in need of - and finding - an increasing number of inexplicable healings. The result is an unusual process, in which the Vatican has had to develop a medical expertise to help separate remarkable but understandable recoveries from those healings for which medicine has no explanation."

The Rev. James Martin, an associate editor at America magazine and the author of "My Life with the Saints,'' is quoted in the story; today he blogged about his own views on miracles, writing:

"To my mind--and I'm being serious here--I figure that if God can create the heavens and the earth, raise his son from the dead, and so on (to say nothing of what his son's miracles during his earthly ministry) then something like healing someone from an incurable disease in the modern world is, by comparison, relatively easy. Plus, I've read plenty of medical reports surrounding the many verified miracles at Lourdes. And I've also seen and heard about what I would call 'minor' miracles in people's lives that remain inexplicable.

But belief in miracles raises a very difficult question for those who believe in them (including me): Why is one person "cured" while another remains ill? This is where those who do not believe in miracles have a very strong case: for if you admit of the possibility of miracles, then you have to grapple with the question of whether this means that God plays favorites. And many of my friends simply cannot abide that image of God."

Several folks have now asked about the photo of Michelle Obama dressed in black and wearing a veil while visiting the pope today, and it's triggering a bit of discussion on-line. I've poked around and am not coming up with an entirely satisfactory explanation, other than that the veil is a sign of respect and a nod to tradition. The practice is not universally honored -- Raisa Gorbachev once caused a bit of a stir by greeting the pope dressed in red -- but the archives show a lot of examples of prominent women who have followed the practice, including the photo above, which shows Pope Benedict XVI earlier this week arriving for a meeting with some of the First Ladies taking part in a G8 summit in L'Aquila, Italy.

Here's a photo of Michelle Obama, with her husband and the pope, at the Vatican today:

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the ailing scion of the nation's most famous Catholic family, drafted a personal letter to Pope Benedict XVI that was hand-delivered to the Vatican today by President Obama.

Although neither the Vatican nor Kennedy's office released details of the letter, and the White House said the president hadn't read it, the missive immediately captured the imagination of Catholics, reinforcing both the sense of the senator as someone reaching out for help, and reminding the nation of the special place the Kennedys have held in American Catholic lore.

The president, who has become a close ally of Kennedy since the storied Massachusetts Democrat endorsed his presidential campaign, asked the pope to pray for the senator during a meeting at the Vatican, and then, after the meeting ended, phoned the senator and talked with him for ten minutes to fill him in on the conversation.

"I find it quite moving,'' said the Rev. Robert P. Imbelli, a Catholic theologian at Boston College. "Clearly, when one Catholic asks another to pray for him, this is a sign both of vulnerability and of trust. To have the opportunity to ask that of the pope is, in addition, a sign of devotion and respect for the one Catholics hold to be the successor of St. Peter with a special role in maintaining the unity and apostolic tradition of the church.''

And R. Scott Appleby, a historian at the University of Notre Dame, said, "Catholicism as a cultural and ethnic identity clearly runs deep in the Kennedy clan. Among individual members, the depth of commitment to the Church itself varies—as with many Catholic families. It seems clear, and it is poignant and instructive, that Senator Kennedy seeks peace and reconciliation with 'Holy Mother Church' as he nears the end of his earthly life."

Kennedy's office declined to release the letter or discuss its contents; his spokeswoman, Melissa Wagoner, e-mailed, "It's a personal letter. End of story."

But the act of reaching out to the pope, while the senator is struggling with brain cancer, is in many ways a traditional act of a religious person reaching out to a spiritual leader, particularly when struggling with illness or other trouble.

"Catholics, and so many others, reach out for prayers in their time of need, as Senator Kennedy does so now,'' said Sister Mary Ann Walsh , the spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. "The entire Catholic community prays at Sunday Mass for the sick and for government leaders during the Prayer of the Faithful and their prayers are with him. Senator Kennedy recognizes the prayerfulness of the Holy Father and his reaching out to the head of the Catholic Church is a very understandable human and Catholic action."

The Rev. Thomas J. Reese , a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University, also noted that the delivery of the letter reflects the president's acknowledgment of the role played by the pope for Catholics.

"This kindness to Kennedy shows that Obama recognizes the pope is a pastor and not just a world leader,'' Reese said.

The Kennedys have long had a special relationship with the Catholic Church by virtue of their prominence in American politics. Kennedy's father, Joseph P. Kennedy , was an ambassador to Britain when he represented the United States at the coronation of Pope Pius XII back in 1939, and since that time many members of the Kennedy family have met with various popes. When Senator Kennedy's older brother, John F. Kennedy , was running for president in 1960, he had to battle anti-Catholic allegations that he would be controlled by the Vatican; he famously overcame such concerns to become the nation's first Catholic president, a fact the White House cited yesterday in announcing its delivery of a letter from the senator to the pope.

"The president delivered a letter from Senator Kennedy to the Holy Father,'' Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough , whose brother is a priest and who has talked in recent days about the impact of Catholic social teaching on his own views, told reporters aboard Air Force One after the meeting. "He also asked that the Holy Father pray for Senator Kennedy, who as we all know is ill, and whose brother obviously broke an important barrier in our country by being the first Catholic president elected of the United States."

Senator Kennedy is at once one of the most prominent and most controversial figures in American Catholicism -- prominent because of his brother's place in history, and his own lengthy career as the leading liberal lion of the senate, but controversial because of his support for abortion rights and gay rights and occasionally because of his own personal failings and misdeeds. But he has largely ignored the periodic denunciations of his Catholic-ness from conservatives within the church. After his mother died, he attended daily Mass for a year; before he got sick, he periodically attended Mass in Washington and on the Cape, and attended key ceremonies of the Archdiocese of Boston and other major church events, including the funeral of Pope John Paul II in Rome.

In 2005, when Benedict -- then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger -- was elected to the papacy, Kennedy issued a congratulatory statement, saying, "Vicki and I congratulate Pope Benedict XVI and pray that his pontificate will bring healing to the entire world and to all people of every faith."

Then last year, when Benedict visited the United States, Kennedy issued a statement welcoming him, and attended the papal Mass at Nationals Park in Washington, declaring, “Pope Benedict’s visit to the United States and our capital city is an extraordinary opportunity to strengthen and reflect on the power of faith during this difficult time for our country and for the entire world.”

(Photo, by Getty Images, shows Pope Benedict XVI greeting First Lady Michelle Obama and President Obama at the Vatican today, July 10, 2009.)

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs and Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough just briefed the news media aboard Air Force One (en route from Rome to Accra) about today's meeting between President Obama and Pope Benedict XVI. Note that the president gave the pope a letter from Senator Kennedy (deep in transcript):

"MR. McDONOUGH: Hey, everybody. We just had a short talk with the President about his meeting with the Holy Father. Before the President met with the Holy Father, he spent about 10 or -- yes, about 10 minutes with Cardinal Bertone. They talked about a range of issues. The Cardinal also, underscoring the fact that they had little -- insufficient time, underscored that he would share a longer note with the President, which he looks very much forward to receiving.]]> http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/07/white_house_vat.html http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/07/white_house_vat.html Catholicism Politics Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:19:42 -0500 The pope and the president have met. I'm still waiting for the statements and briefings, but in the meantime, here's a photo of the happy pair, plus first lady Michelle Obama, posing for photographers after their conversation at the Vatican:

My editor asks why Michelle Obama is dressed in black and veiled. Here's an attempt at an answer from USA Today, tackling the same question when first lady Laura Bush visited the pope in 2006. Bottom line: tradition.

(Photo by Jason Reed/Reuters)

]]> http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/07/pope_benedict_m.html http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/07/pope_benedict_m.html Catholicism Politics Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:54:53 -0500 Tomorrow (Friday) is the much-anticipated first meeting between President Obama and Pope Benedict XVI, and there's lots of discussion about what to expect. The two men have shared interests in economic and environmental issues, but those have generally been overshadowed by the abortion divide, which has dominated reaction to the Obama presidency by the Catholic church hierarchy in the United States.

This afternoon, Catholic Democrats held a teleconference to talk about the pope's recent encyclical and tomorrow's meeting; while on the phone, I asked US Representatives Jim McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Rosa L. DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat, whether they view the pope-president meeting as largely symbolic, or as having some more substantive significance.

Here's what McGovern, who represents central and southeastern Massachusetts, including Worcester, had to say:

"In the past, they have been symbolic meetings that have amounted to more than photo ops and a nice press release. But my sense of President Obama is that he doesn't do symbolism. He's not going through the motions. This is a man who ran for president with a deep desire to change the world for the better, and I believe that he really wants to change things. And I think this pope, with the encyclical that he has issued, has put forward a framework, not just for the US, but for the world. I have high expectations for this meeting. I believe this meeting has the potential to have a lasting impact, not only to inspire, but to provide political cover to move forward in some areas that have been difficult for politicians to deal with – the delicate crisis in the MidEast, or poverty, or hunger. My hope and my expectation is that it will be about real things, and results-oriented. I'm very, very hopeful.''

And here's DeLauro, who represents south central Connecticut, including New Haven:

]]> http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/07/previewing_the.html http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/07/previewing_the.html Catholicism Politics Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:11:01 -0500 There was a minor bombing (if there is such a thing) of a Catholic parish in Brockton over the weekend. Globe correspondent Matt Collette talked with Brockton Fire Chief Ken Galligan, who described the damage as minor, but said the explosives could have caused serious damage had they not burned out on their own. There is no indication of a motive -- this could be an act of vandalism, or some kind of hate crime. Here's what Galligan said:

"After the 7:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday, someone discovered two Molotov cocktails – described as glass bottles filled with paper towels and a flammable liquid – between a row of pews on the floor of the St. Edith Stein Church (left) in Brockton. What it looks like now is somebody from outside threw these Molotov cocktails through the window onto the wooden floor. The floor was scorched, but the Molotov cocktails apparently burned themselves out."

The church’s co-pastor, the Rev. Brian P. Smith, declined to comment and referred questions to the Archdiocese of Boston. Archdiocesan spokesman Terrence C. Donilon e-mailed a statement:

"Brockton Police and Fire are investigating an incident which occurred this weekend at St. Edith Stein Church. Because of the ongoing investigation we respectfully decline comment at this time. We are grateful that no injuries and no damage was sustained and we pray for those responsible for this unfortunate incident this past weekend."

The Brockton Enterprise has a story with further details on its web site.

(Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of Boston.)

]]> http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/07/molotov_cocktai.html http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/07/molotov_cocktai.html Catholicism Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:56:42 -0500

Here is the introduction and the conclusion to an encyclical Pope Benedict XVI issued today, titled "Charity in Truth," about ethics and the economy:

]]> http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/07/text_of_papal_e.html http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/07/text_of_papal_e.html Tue, 07 Jul 2009 07:26:42 -0500

The Massachusetts Bible Society, marking 200 years of handing out millions of Bibles to the poor and the imprisoned, this afternoon staged a small-scale re-enactment of its founding in the warm embrace of the round blue state Senate chamber.

A few dozen supporters of the organization, some dressed in knickers, top hats, bowties or bonnets, read from the founding documents, now tinged with irony, about the aspirations and arguments of Protestant denominations that then wielded considerable power and influence in the Bay State.

The event featured readings from early writings of the Bible Society’s while male Protestant founders, most of them Harvard-educated, who could hardly have imagined the organization's leadership of today: the Bible society’s current president is a Catholic priest, the Rev. Walter H. Cuenin, and its executive director is a woman, the Rev. Anne Robertson (above), who is a Methodist minister. But two centuries of modernization has not changed all atop Beacon Hill: as the clergy and lay people of today held their re-enactment, a small gray mouse darted out from beneath the golden drapes behind the podium and scurried unimpeded across the Senate carpet.

The Bible Society, which was the third such organization in the early United States, is one of the lesser-known relics of Massachusetts’ rich religious past, and has undergone considerable downsizing in recent years, selling its longtime headquarters on Bromfield Street, closing its bookstores, and moving its small staff first to the Congregational House on Beacon Street and then, in December, to the campus of Andover Newton Theological School in Newton. The organization’s rare Bibles collection now resides at Boston University, and its printed newsletter is now on-line only. Its endowment, which was $6.4 million a year ago, is now about $3.3 million.

The organization, which once employed 18 colporteurs who traveled around distributing Bibles door-to-door and had a special ministry to the state’s many newly arriving immigrants, still distributes Bibles in prisons, hospitals, on campuses, and through programs for the homeless and the poor. The organization also hosts lectures and publishes articles. But the organization is also trying to reinvent itself for the Internet Age, increasingly emphasizing its web site, and now with a Facebook page, a YouTube channel, and a Twitter feed, and it recently spent $500,000 to construct a media center at Andover Newton that is intended for use training clergy and congregations on use of technology.

“At one time, everybody who was anybody had not only heard of the Mass. Bible Society but was part of it,’’ Robertson said in an interview. “We still have a message, but today we are focusing more on Biblical literacy, understanding and dialogue.’’

In an address to the society members before a ceremonial re-signing of the founding charter (below), Robertson outlined the argument for the future of the organization, which in recent years has emphasized its place as home for a liberal alternative to more evangelical readings of the Bible. The organization has encouraged an interpretive, rather than literal, reading of the Bible.

“Is it a tough road to convince people that the Bible is relevant to our age? Yes, it is,’’ Robertson said. “Is it tougher still to reach out and take the Bible back from those who have ground its contents to such a sharp point that more people seem to feel wounded by it than helped? Yes, it is.’’

After the ceremony, the Bible Society members strolled over to the Omni Parker House for a period dinner featuring turnip soup and pink pancakes (crepes).

Cuenin, the Catholic chaplain at Brandeis and the first Catholic priest to serve as president, said he wanted to be involved with the organization in part because of its history and in part to make sure Catholics were visible in an organization that was long Protestant-only.

“What we’ve been trying to do is figure out where we go for the future, and figure out the electronic means of spreading the Bible,’’ he said. “Two hundred years ago, the purpose was to give out Bibles, but today people have Bibles, so that’s not a big deal. The question is, how do we make it usable?”

Cuenin and Robertson both emphasized the Society’s role in encouraging a debate about the meanings of the Bible in today’s society.

“I’m someone who believes in interpreting the Bible, and not following it literally, and that’s what my church teaches,’’ Cuenin said. “This society would promote an understanding of the Scripture that is more contemporary and open to historical criticism.’’

(Photos, by Yoon S. Byun/Globe staff, show the Massachusetts Bible Society celebrating its bicentennial by reenacting its founding in the Senate chamber of the Massachusetts State House on July 6, 2009.)

]]> http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/07/at_200_years_bi.html http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/07/at_200_years_bi.html Catholicism Mainline Protestantism Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:48:02 -0500 The Rev. Ian T. Douglas (left), a prominent and oft-quoted Episcopal theologian who teaches "mission and world Christianity" at Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, is one of four nominees to be the next bishop of Connecticut. In the Episcopal Church, bishops are elected by clergy and laypeople, and the online resources for the Connecticut election are impressive (better than anything I've seen local governments pull together, come to think of it) -- a website, a blog, and pitches in writing and on video by the nominees, among other bells and whistles.

The other nominees are the Rev. Mark Delcuze, rector of St. Stephen’s Church in Ridgefield, Conn.; the Rev. Beth Fain, rector of St. Mary’s Church in Cypress, Texas; and Bishop James E. Curry, a suffragan (assisting) bishop in Connecticut.

(Full disclosure: I have several times been a guest speaker in a "religion and the media" course that Douglas has co-taught at EDS.)

(Photo courtesy of Episcopal Divinity School.)

]]> http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/07/local_priest_up.html http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/07/local_priest_up.html Episcopalianism Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:33:50 -0500

Robert Ridgell, the assistant organist at Trinity Wall Street, blends "Beat It" and "ABC" into a tribute to the late Michael Jackson in the postlude for Trinity's June 28 service.

(H/T: The Lead)

]]> http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/07/michael_jackson_1.html http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/07/michael_jackson_1.html Arts and Culture Episcopalianism Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:12:08 -0500

President Obama this morning met with a select group of reporters for Catholic publications, as well as the religion reporter for the Washington Post. Obama outlined his thoughts on the upcoming visit to the pope, his relationship with American bishops, the abortion issue, economic justice, and the Middle East. There was no major news, but Obama revealed a couple things I had not previously known about his faith life -- first, that he is considering choosing a group of churches in Washington, rather than a single congregation, to reduce the impact of his presence on any one community. And second, the president said that Joshua DuBois, the president's faith adviser, sends Obama's BlackBerry a devotional prayer each morning for the president to reflect on.

The president opened with a preview of his meeting with Pope Benedict XVI, which is scheduled to take place July 10 at the Vatican:

]]> http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/07/obama_meets_wit_1.html http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/07/obama_meets_wit_1.html Catholicism Politics Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:15:48 -0500

Karl Malden, the film actor who died yesterday at 97, is being remembered in religionland for his Academy Award-nominated portrayal of a tough dockside priest, Father Pete Barry, in the 1954 film "On the Waterfront.'' Malden's role is one of the most famous depictions of a Catholic priest on film. The role was inspired by the real life of a Jesuit priest, the Rev. John Corridan, who died 25 years ago today. America magazine, the Jesuit weekly, today re-posts an explanatory piece that first appeared in Company, another Jesuit publication. An excerpt:

"After meeting the street-smart, earthy Corridan at Xavier, [director Elia] Kazan grilled [writer Budd] Schulberg: 'Are you sure he's a priest? Maybe he's working there for the waterfront rebels in disguise.' Schulberg viewed Corridan as 'the antidote to the stereotyped Barry Fitzgerald-Bing Crosby' portrayal of the priesthood 'so dear to Hollywood hearts.' Corridan agreed and exhorted Kazan and Schulberg to 'make a "Going My Way" with substance.'

The project was turned down by every major studio in Hollywood before finally being rescued by independent producer Sam Spiegel. Corridan served as adviser on the film and helped secure clearances from the Port Authority for the use of piers in Hoboken, where the film was shot in late autumn 1953. He also provided the filmmakers with his speeches and writings on waterfront conditions, including the famous 'Christ is on the waterfront' speech he had first presented at a Jersey City chapter of the Knights of Columbus in 1948. In 'On the Waterfront,' Father Pete Barry (Karl Malden) provides a stirring rendition of the speech over the body of a slain longshoreman. Kazan and Schulberg refused repeated demands by the producers to shorten the scene, which is the moral core of the film since it persuades longshoreman Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) to follow his conscience and testify against waterfront criminals."

And, from the Internet Movie Database, a famous exchange from that scene between Brando's Terry Malloy and Malden's Father Barry:

Terry: If I spill, my life ain't worth a nickel.
Father Barry: And how much is your soul worth if you don't?

Over at dotCommonweal, Mollie Wilson O'Reilly recalls her first viewing of the film, just a few years back:

"I didn’t know going in that it was, at least in part, a story about a heroic priest...In fact, 'On the Waterfront' belongs on parish film-fest rosters alongside chestnuts like 'Boys Town' and 'The Bells of St. Mary’s' (and way ahead of silly epics like 'The Robe'). I would certainly advocate screening it in this 'year of the priest.' And as Philip T. Hartung wrote in Commonweal in 1954, 'Karl Malden’s portrayal of the courageous priest is as outstanding as the author’s characterization of the part.'"

(Photo, from the Globe archives, shows Karl Malden (third from left, in Roman collar) in a scene from the 1954 film "On the Waterfront.")

]]> http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/07/karl_malden_rec.html http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/07/karl_malden_rec.html Arts and Culture Catholicism Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:42:04 -0500

I was wondering how long I could hold out before blogging about Michael Jackson, and now I know the answer: six days.

In those days since the King of Pop died, I've now seen so many items about his faith that my head is starting to spin. He was a Jehovah's Witness. A Muslim. He accepted Jesus before he died. The Vatican loved him, but was that right? There's even a Jewish angle of sorts. Not to mention the unending discussion of what it means to call him an icon, or an idol. Some folks have suggested that his funeral will shed some light on his final faith practices, but I'm not holding out much hope for that.

Here is a brief Michael Jackson religion roundup. Make of it what you will:

• Jackson was raised a Jehovah's Witness, and there have been a variety of unconfirmed reports that at some point he was disfellowshipped by the Witnesses. Back in 2000, Jackson penned an essay for Beliefnet about his relationship to the Sabbath, and in it he discussed doorbelling to preach for the Witnesses:
  

  "Sundays were my day for 'Pioneering,' the term used for the missionary work that Jehovah's Witnesses do. We would spend the day in the suburbs of Southern California, going door to door or making the rounds of a shopping mall, distributing our Watchtower magazine. I continued my pioneering work for years and years after my career had been launched."

  
  
• Jackson's brother Jermaine is a Muslim, and there were some reports during Michael's life that he, too, converted to Islam. The Times of London rounds up the evidence in an item headlined, "Was Michael Jackson Muslim?"; there was also a roundup on Global Voices. Imam Zaid Shakir blogged about Jackson's conversion to Islam, and then retracted his blog item, concluding, "There have been many reports throughout the media concerning Michael becoming Muslim. Allah knows best as to their veracity.'' Perhaps my favorite development on the role of Islam in the Michael Jackson story, though, was this correction that ran Saturday in The New York Times, revising a comment that Jermaine Jackson made at the hospital where Michael Jackson died:
  

  "The article...misstated part of a comment that Mr. Jackson’s brother Jermaine offered for Mr. Jackson after speaking with reporters. He said, “May Allah be with you always,” not “May our love be with you always.”

• Not to be outdone, Christianity Today tackles the question, "Was Michael Jackson a Christian?" The evangelical magazine explores, and then essentially debunks, suggestions that Jackson accepted Jesus just before his death. "Initial rumors that the King of Pop had accepted Christ may have been false,'' the magazine concludes.

• The Jewish Telegraphic Agency, meanwhile, offers a story on Michael Jackson's "Jewish Ties,'' which turn out to be quite complex -- he said some offensive things, he was friends with a rabbi, he flirted with kabbalah (who didn't?) and it's possible that at least two of his children are technically Jewish because Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe, who has been thought to be the biological mother of the children, is Jewish. Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, a onetime friend of Jackson, wrote a generous appraisal for Beliefnet; Rabbi Eric Yoffie, the head of the Reform movement, offers a far more critical assessment, asking,
  

  "Is it really necessary, however, now that he is dead, for those who speak in the name of the Jewish community to be joining in the adulation and offering excuses for his actions?"

  
  
• Some in the Catholic community are similarly conflicted. L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, published a generous appreciation of Jackson's legacy, prompting Tom Heneghan of Reuters to observe: "It’s not every day that the Vatican newspaper suggests that a man accused of pedophilia and said to have converted to Islam might be immortal. But that’s what L’Osservatore Romano did today." Over at American Papist, Thomas Peters is not amused, calling the Vatican paper's assessment "fawning'' and suggesting that it could never have appeared in a parish newsletter:
  

  "Jackson, it should be noted, from all outside accounts, lived a tortured existence and the circumstances of his death should prompt an outpouring of fervent prayers for his soul, not these gushing, Hollywood-esque bon mots about how his "myth" will survive "serious and shameful" accusations. All the artistic success in the world, we must realize, is a basket of straw if your personal life was a spiritual, human wreck. I really dig Michael Jackson's music, but as a Catholic, I don't have to buy into the myth that great art makes a great man. Michael Jackson's best chance to "never die" is the mercy of Christ, not his best-selling record."

  
  

I suppose it's not all that surprising that an entertainer who often seemed confused, or confusing, about race, gender and sexuality, would also leave us wondering about his religious beliefs. Here's Juan Cole, blogging about how religion fits into the Michael Jackson identity swirl:

"Jackson was a man of multiple identities, which helped account for his enormous worldwide popularity. It seems clear that he was deeply traumatized by his rough show business childhood, and that things happened to him to arrest his development. Just as a stem cell can grow into any organ, Michael's eternal boyishness made him a chameleon. Increasingly androgynous, he expressed both male and female. A boy and yet a father, he was both child and adult. In part because of his vitiligo, he interrogated his blackness and became, like some other powerful and wealthy African-Americans of his generation, racially ambiguous. Toward the end of his life he bridged his family's Jehovah's Witness brand of Christianity with a profound interest in Islam. He was all things to all people in part precisely because of his Peter Pan syndrome. A child can grow up to become anything, after all."

(Photo, by Hasan Jamali for The New York Times via AP, shows Michael Jackson wearing a black abaya while exiting a shopping mall in Bahrain with one of his children, also veiled, and a security guard, on Jan. 25, 2006.)

]]> http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/07/michael_jackson.html http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/07/michael_jackson.html Arts and Culture Catholicism Evangelicalism Islam Judaism Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:18:27 -0500 And then there were 291.

The Archdiocese of Boston, which had 357 parishes back in 2002, is consolidating another pair of parishes tomorrow. Sacred Heart‐St. James (left) in Groton and Saint Joseph (right) in Pepperell will merge, forming a new parish, Our Lady of Grace. But this transition, unlike some in the past, appears to be largely peaceful. The churches, located about 8 miles apart, have shared a pastor for three years, and for the time being the new parish will hold Masses in the existing buildings, so the changes for worshipers in the short-term are relatively minor -- a consolidation of the offices, and a slight reduction in the Mass schedule. Over the long term the community hopes to construct a new parish campus, with church, rectory, and parish center, on the town line, that would replace the existing buildings.

The congregations are relatively small for Catholic parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston -- each parish currently has about 750 families, and average weekend Mass attendance runs between 500 and 600 at each church. The Groton parish is itself the result of a previous merger, in 2003, and is now trying to sell one of its church buildings and parish halls. The new parish will include not only Groton and Pepperell, but also Dunstable.

This afternoon I spoke with the Rev. Paul L. Ring, pastor of the parishes. Here's what he had to say:

Q: Is this related to the archdiocesan reconfiguration that began in 2004?
A: What happened was, back a number of years ago, during the reconfiguration, when we sat down as a cluster, it was given to us to figure out which parishes would be closed within the cluster. The cluster asked the archdiocese for a different tack, and so the archdiocese asked them to come up with a plan.

Q: How did you come up with the new name?
A: People were asked to submit names, and we came up with three that we submitted to the cardinal, and he chose. "Our Lady of Grace" comes about because a number of our people have a deep affinity for the Blessed Mother, so a number of "Our Lady" appellations were chosen. And we felt grace was needed in abundance to get through this process. Also, Lydia Longley, credited as the first American nun, was a resident of Groton, and she belonged to the School Sisters of Notre Dame, which is French for Our Lady, so that was another rationale.

Q: How are people reacting to the merger?
A: By and large the folks are happy about this, because it gives us a future. I've been encouraging folks to understand that this was the best course of action, not only for the survival of our two communities, but to build the ministries and the kingdom here in the Nashoba Valley.

(Parish photos courtesy of the Archdiocese of Boston.)

]]> http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/06/parishes_in_pep.html http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/06/parishes_in_pep.html Catholicism Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:13:58 -0500