Mark P. Shea's Blog, page 1346

Hey Seattle and Spokane!

I'll be on Sacred Heart Radio this AM around 9:00 helping to promote their spring fundraiser! You can tune in on 1050 AM here in Western Washington or on 970 AM in Spokane!

It's a good start...

but this guy clearly hasn't hung around nearly as many comboxes as I have. He hasn't met Death Penalty Obsessive, nor Liturgical Fussbudget. He seems to know nothing of Cardinal Newman Says It's Okay to Lie Guy, nor Defend War Crimes Dude. Also, he seems never to have encountered Foe of the Whore of Babylon, Obscene Atheist, nor Conspiracy Kook, nor Medjugore Monomaniac. He is oblivious to Tu Quoque Man (catchphrase: "IknowyouarebutwhatamI?"). He has never encountered Take All Arguments as Personal Insults Girl and seems to know nothing of I Used to Respect You Boy and his tragic history of looking up to somebody till they disagreed with him and hurt his precious feelings. Nor does he come close to touching the vast and varied taxonomies of the Flame Warrior site, which by rights should be canonized as a sacred internet site.

If I have mentioned it lately...

the ACLU is evil.

This was sent on March 26...

...but I thought I'd run it anyway, just because I've actually been to St. Margaret Clitherow's house (which is right around the corner from Yorkminster):

Happy Saint Margaret Clitherow day.

This saint, known as "the Pearl of York", was an English Catholic wife, mother, and martyr. She "was a daughter of Thomas Middleton, Sheriff of York (1564-5)," and married John Clitherow in 1571. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, Saint Margaret was arrested for the crime of harboring Catholic priests, and was put to death in 1586. (1)

I wonder if you or any of your other readers have, like me, been curious about the possibility of a family connection between Saint Margaret Clitherow (née Middleton) and Kate Middleton, the soon-to-be bride of Prince William of Wales ("Lady Di's" oldest son). I have searched on the internet, but have not found any link so far.

Which doesn't necessarily mean there isn't one. Not only the names, but the geographic ranges of the respective families, appear to match rather closely. I don't find much information about Kate Middleton's ancestors prior to the early 19th century; the earliest Middleton ancestor of hers whose birthplace I find documented is "William Middleton, solicitor, b. Wakefield, Yorkshire, 22 Sept. 1807" (2). Wakefield appears to be approximately 25 miles from the City of York, birthplace of Saint Margaret.
It would appear then, that the two families - if they are indeed two distinct families - have lived in the same general area of Yorkshire, England, for many, many years.

I wonder whether you or any of your other friends or readers may have more information?

Is there a genealogist in the house?

Interesting take on the state of Irish Catholicism...

from the Abp of Dublin.

Those who constantly tell me that the key to happiness is simply having a Catholic culture should read and heed.

Fr. Robert Barron, as usual, makes sense

Here he is looking at the God King's sudden decision to plunge us into war in Libya in light of Just War teaching. Meanwhile, someone seems to have slipped Happy Juice into Andrew Sullivan's tea. Two weeks ago, it looked like he was heading for the exit from from the Obama Adoration Shrine he had built. Now, all of a sudden, he's back to cooing about this, our Greatest President Evah! Turns out we are doing all this because we are just so darn *good* we can't help it, and Obama is the incarnation of our goodness!

Reminds me of this special Sulu moment somehow:

A reader writes...

I am a longtime reader of your blog. Given the range of subjects you cover on your blog I thought that this story might be of interest to you and other readers. To summarize: a family from Alabama is attempting to adopt a boy with Down Syndrome from Russia. The Russian judge has rejected their application because the boy's medical condition makes him "socially unadaptable"; therefore, he is better off in an institution than with a loving family. Here are two parts of the story on this travesty.

Those of us in support of this family are lifting them up in prayer, asking others to do so, and trying to get this story out as far and wide as possible. Any help from you and other readers would be deeply appreciated.

Father, hear our prayer that justice will be done for this boy and the family that love him, through Christ our Lord. Mother Mary, pray for them!

Another One...

Wades the Tiber!

Six billion to go!

Okay. This raises the Beach Boys several notches in my book

They're headlining a concert for the Terri Schiavo Foundation. Good for them!

The Urge to Prophesy

In which we contemplate the Future and how consistently wrong we are about it.