Little model boats hang from the ceiling and maritime paintings adorn the walls of the basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde, which from the city’s highest hill overlooks the bay of Marseille, where sailing regattas are being held for the 2024 Olympics. They’re votive offerings — some more than 200 years old — that Read more
Odd Spot
Models of boats donated for answered prayers hang in basilica in Marseille, Olympic sailing host
Thursday, August 8th, 2024Nothing odd in anointing the sick
Monday, August 5th, 2024
A recent NZ parish newsletter highlighted an invite for the sick to be anointed. There is nothing odd about that. The invite was included in the pastoral outreach section, which, for example, invited people in need of prayer to register on a “prayer chain” or those who are sick and housebound to reach out if Read more
Viral TikTok trend has brides shocking their husbands with brand new look on wedding day
Thursday, August 1st, 2024A new TikTok trend has gone viral, and it involves brides undergoing a major change to their appearance after saying, “I do.” Here’s how it works. A bride will get her hair done for the wedding ceremony, get married and then have a hairstylist cut off a significant amount of hair before the reception. Continue Read more
Indian court blocks rule to divide eateries by religion
Monday, July 29th, 2024Activists have joined political leaders in condemning police in two states for demanding eateries display the names of their owners amid criticism that it creates a religious divide, particularly during the ongoing Hindu pilgrim season. India’s Supreme Court on July 22 temporarily suspended the rules imposed last week by police in the northern states of Uttar Read more
Woman steals $300,000 from Alabama church to buy gifts for TikTokers
Thursday, July 25th, 2024A former administrative assistant at a Tuscaloosa Catholic church has pleaded guilty to embezzling money, much of which she is accused of using to buy gifts for TikTokers. Kristen Marie Battocletti, 35, entered her guilty plea on Tuesday in a Tuscaloosa courtroom to one count of wire fraud involving the theft of hundreds of thousands Read more
Chasseur sauce was invented by a Pope … sort of
Monday, July 22nd, 2024In classic French cooking you have five mother sauces, namely bechamel, veloute, espagnole, tomato, and hollandaise. Then there are other sauces based on the Big Five. One surprising sauce factoid, however, involves a man who seems to have invented a fair number of the latter sauces, these being sauce chasseur, sauce lyonnaise, sauce porto, and Read more
Woman, 108, stays young by ‘flirting with men with mustaches’
Thursday, July 18th, 2024An Alabama woman celebrating her 108th birthday offered an unusual answer to how she keeps herself feeling young: “drinking wine, eating dessert, and flirting with men with mustaches.” Helen Denmark turned 108 on Sunday, and she was celebrated with a party Monday thrown by her friends and caregivers at Brookdale Assisted Living in Birmingham. Denmark Read more
How the Church came to own properties in Manly
Monday, July 15th, 2024
The first plans for British settlement in Manly, NSW, Australia, emerged in the 1820s following the acquisition of land from the local Gayemagal people. A smallpox outbreak at the end of the 18th century severely reduced their population, paving the way for the British settlement. Around 1850, the NSW Legislative Council granted the Catholic Church Read more
A process for choosing a pastor
Thursday, July 11th, 2024
The Catholic parish of Zizers in Switzerland is advertising for a new priest. Due to the shortage of priests, parishes often do this themselves in consultation with the diocese’s personnel managers. “The perfect candidate has not been found yet,” said Alois Gadola, the chairman of the Zizers parish council. In an interview, he emphasised the Read more
Seminarian’s unusual gift to parishioners
Monday, July 8th, 2024
Seminarian Daniel O’Kelly is preparing to go to Rome to finish his studies soon, but before he leaves, he has a special gift for the parishioners of St Catherine’s Laboure Gymea in Sydney, Australia. During a brief Advent placement at St Catherine’s in 2022, Daniel’s dedication to the church was evident. Returning for his long-term Read more