Postcards from WYD: Hey...I Know That "Kid!"

Remember I told you that Marc Barnes, aka "the Kid" , and blogger at BadCatholic, was in Madrid for World Youth Day? The proof is above. That photograph is one of 106 that Life Teen International has posted over on their Facebook page. Here's another with Marc and his buddies,

Because World Youth Day is a Fertile Field for Vocations

A fortnight ago, I wrote a post about the coolest blog to add YIMCatholic to their blog roll. The blog is written by TingTing Tse, whose photograph you see here. Her blog is written in Chinese, though search me if it is in Cantonese or Mandarin. After I posted about her blog, which appeared to be coming out of Emmaus in the Holy Land, she wrote me a note.

Dear Frank,

Remember that Confession Video by "the Kid?"

Great news...Marc Barnes, aka "the Kid,"from BadCatholic was awarded a $1000 scholarship from the i-Confess contest.  The contest was put on by the Diocese of Brooklyn in conjunction with both the Archdiocese of New York and Diocese of Rockville Centre. Great job Marc! Here are the Top Ten results,

Because Family Has No Perfect Picture

There are neat people everywhere. Yes, you have them in your parish too. And they are outside your parish as well, waiting for you to invite them to join the family. Or to expand your own family, like one of my fellow parishioners has done.

Because Good Friends Are Golden

A few days back, it was the Feast Day of St. Barnabas. You may or may not recall that he was St. Paul's companion on his first mission trip. They were fast friends in the faith, traveling hither and yon spreading the Good News together to the Gentiles.

You can learn more about Barnabas over at the Catholic Encyclopedia. The record shows that at some point, the two went their separate ways. Perhaps it was a falling out, but perhaps it was just that they were called in different directions by the same Spirit that brought them together in the first place.

To Join the Ayn Rand Busters? To Be A Hero? I'm In!

Hey, look at the calendar. The election cycle is coming around again! Time to check our brains at the door and just go with our gut feelings. Embrace fuzzy math concepts like 1 + 1 = 3.18275. Stuff like that.

Forget the real substantive issues we can actually do something about, like fixing Social Security's looming bankruptcy, and instead focus on bankrupting ourselves by bombing Yemen. Sweet!

Dear YIMCatholic Readers...

-The Solemnity of the Ascension  

There is something about the month of June that brings about change. Palpable change, just like when the Spring season gives way physically to that of the Summer.

This time last year, I was a junior partner of this blog, having been aboard for a mere six months. Allison Salerno, was even more junior, having officially been brought aboard by Webster Bull at the end of March 2010. We were junior members of a new endeavor called Why I Am Catholic.

Because the Peace of Christ is Real

 Guest post by Dwija Borobia

Dwija Borobia, 30, her husband, and their four young children decided to buy a house - sight unseen - in rural Michigan off the internet. Two months ago, we ran a piece of her story here.  Here's another piece. 


When I'm presented with a challenging circumstance, when the road gets a little bumpy and the things aren't going the way I wish they would, I clam up.  I need time to process the valleys of life.  The peaks...well, I shout those out eagerly!  Today, on the other hand, is different.  Today I'm ready to share something with you that was, or perhaps should have been, more difficult to celebrate.

On the Friday before Mother's Day, my husband was laid off.

To Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

This is another example of why I didn't give up Facebook for Lent. I'd miss a lot of great things that friends are posting during this season of conversion and reflection.

Like this great little video Fr. James Martin narrates about today's saint whom we celebrate. St. Joseph, Patron Saint of the whole Church. Have a look. You'll be glad you did.

To Share, and Share Alike (The Saturday Evening Blog Post)

Today I saw a blogging friend mention that it was time to contribute to blogger Elizabeth Esther’s Saturday Evening Blog Post. I thought, What's that?

It turns out to be sort of like the Saturday Evening Post of yore, in that it is a compilation of blog posts from the past month from both Catholic blog writers, and not, from all over. Elizabeth posts these on the first Saturday of each month. Who is Elizabeth Esther? Come and see.

Thoughts On Beauty from Sick Bay On A Tuesday

—Feast of St. Henry Morse, SJ 

Have you ever heard of François Villon? I never had, but I'm looking forward to finding out more about him. I'm home sick, drinking coffee and later on I'll be dipping into the medicine chest for the "sniffling, sneezing, coughing, so you can rest medicine." But first, I want to share with you what, in my unlettered opinion, is the Best. Preface. Ever. Written.

It's all my friend John C.H. Wu's fault, you know. For Christmas, I ponied up all of my cash Christmas gifts and bought John's close to impossible to find The Interior Carmel: The Threefold Way of Love. Since I'm effectively confined to quarters, I started reading it a bit and began noting whatever references he made to other authors, adding their works to the YIMCatholic Bookshelf.

Thanks to the New York Encounter, Probably

Back when I was newspapering, we would have called this kind of posting an advance. I am writing to tell you about something happening right now, and through Monday in New York City: The New York Encounter 2011. I am writing this from the comfort of my century-old suburban home but expect to hop a train to the city in the morning to participate in this free, four-day cultural festival sponsored by Communion and Liberation. If you live in the New York metropolitan area, you might considering coming, too.

For New Years Resolutions Like This: Choose A Patron Saint for 2011

Earlier today I mentioned that I was dipping into the Communion of Saints for inspiration. And why not? I love these people and I'm glad they are praying for me. Later this afternoon I noted that Elizabeth Scalia, "the Anchoress" was wondering about her patron saint for the new year. Readers may have noticed that we have two full time patrons here at YIMCatholic: St. Joseph and St. Joan of Arc.

For the Example and Witness of Charles Péguy

I've got a buddy who is a blogger, a fellow by the name of Webster Bull. You may have heard of him before, because he is the founder of the blog you are reading now. When he has the chance, or the spare time, Webster blogs occasionally for an outfit called Cahiers Péguy.

Over at Cahiers Péguy, they have a cadre of writers putting out interesting posts in the Catholic spirit on the art of writing and living. When Webster started posting there I was very happy, because it meant I would still get to read the words of one of my favorite Catholic bloggers.

To See My Life as a Chapter in God’s Story

“The universe is a story,” writes Peter Kreeft in Catholic Christianity. “God is its Author.” I read that line this morning while marveling at the way my life changes when I see it this way. From where I was sitting, at the Starbucks on Route 62, it seemed that I have a simple choice: let my life be driven by the schedule entered in the iCalendar on the iPhone in my iPocket—or let God drive my life.

Thanks to the Friends I’ve Made Through CL

The other night, I hosted a potluck for the fledgling faith-sharing group forming here in Central New Jersey. The foods were as eclectic as we are: I offered a pasta and eggplant dish my husband had prepared; G., who grew up in Ecuador, brought plantain empanadas he had spent hours preparing; P. brought desserts in the style of her native Paraguay; our parish priest brought a Key Lime pie; and A. brought a scrumptious walnut cake prepared by his wife. A young professor of Italian from Florence joined us late and enjoyed all our goodies.

A year ago, I didn't know most of these folks. Now here we were, gathered to share a meal, watch a short movie about AIDS in Uganda, and talk about how Christ can help us realize there is more to our lives than the sum of our problems.

Because When You Leave It to the Lord, Life Fills Up with Surprises

Yesterday was my 59th birthday, and the party was impromptu. At two in the morning Wednesday, the inspiration had hit me: I would send e-mails to people I would like to see; tell them I planned to be home on Sunday from 4 to 9; and propose that they drop in, or not. There were only two rules: no gifts and leave when I tell you. I sent about 40 messages, then helped Katie get the house ready for the arrival of the Magi.

“Lamentable” (A Few Words for Wednesday)

My friend Webster is working on a project with a rapidly approaching deadline. So I gave him the day off from "poetry duty." Well, that's one reason I wrote this post.  The other reason is I have found a new friend named Wu Li, SJ.  I introduced him to you in a post last Sunday.

This isn't the first time I've been befriended by a Catholic who is no longer with us.  The first time it happened, it was my buddy Blaise Pascal shaking me awake. Once he got my attention, he was like Mariano Rivera and his splitter. Like Mariano, he has only one pitch, but it is unhittable. So I stopped trying to beat him, and figured I would just run away. But Blaise wouldn't allow it.

Because the Quality of Friendship is Just Different

We learn by contrasts, brass beside gold. Two years along, I am still learning what it is to be a Catholic, but one thing is clear: I have never known such friendships. Within the past week, I have been confronted with a "friendship" from years past, one based on power, fear, and lies. This week, I also have had numerous encounters with Catholic friends. What a difference!

Because the Mystery Can Never Be Extinguished

My friend Bill has been AWOL from church for months. We used to sit side by side at Adoration and exchange signs of peace at daily Mass. But Bill has been out of work since late 2008, and I'm afraid that he is disconsolate, home alone much of the time. Every so often, though, Bill sends me a sign that his love for The Mystery is not extinguished. Today he sent me a video.