There are hundreds of versions of Laughing Jesus posted on the internet. Jim McDermott says they make him feel deeply uncomfortable. He likes the term cringe to describe them because of the way it captures the intense awkwardness of some of our efforts as a church to seem hip and relevant. “Laughing Jesus might as Read more
Posts Tagged ‘popular piety’
Mary Untier of Knots, pray for us
Tuesday, May 20th, 2014
‘Mary Untier of Knots, pray for us’ would be a strange-sounding invocation in the Litany to Our Lady to which we are so accustomed. In fact, devotion to the Blessed Virgin under this title has been common in parts of Germany for centuries. Recently, however, the world’s attention was drawn to it when Vatican Radio Read more
St Patrick: A prophet for global justice
Tuesday, March 18th, 2014
St Patrick is one of a handful of Christian saints, along with Mary, Valentine and Francis, that is celebrated in popular culture. His feast day is commemorated with supermarket meat sales, green rivers, green beer, and (my favourite) parades. But who was the real St Patrick? Most people know that the missionary Patrick (Patricius or Pádraig) Read more