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I think we need a break from healthcare. This is a good one:

From Thingiverse (ph/t – MakeZine): 

Have you ever wanted a Gothic Cathedral of your very own?

Are you intimidated by the centuries long construction schedule, and the punishing job requirements of being a European Bishop during the Dark Ages?

Then We Have a Thing For YOU! –> The Gothic Cathedral Play Set!

Ya know, if you need something to do to help keep your mind off what is happening in our country.

This is a terribly strange story.

The Archdiocese of Colombo website has a story posted on their website entitled “ELEPHANTS ATTACK IN ORISSA - EXACTLY AFTER ONE YEAR OF PERSECUTIONS .”

The blog is maintained by one Fr. Sunil De Silva, who seems to be convinced that recent elephant attacks on non-Christians on Orissa, India is retribution for the anti-Christian attacks which plagued the same region last year.

This claim – published on the official website of a Catholic Archdiocesan website, raises some issues:

1. Who authorized posting this story as “news”?
2. Is it really a Christian sentiment to hope that our persecutors are being savaged by wild animals?
3. Is there any corroborating evidence to confirm that, as claimed, Elephants are rampaging villages?

One more thing – I’m very concerned that mainstream reporters will pick up on this story and claim that Christians are “gloating” about the misfortunes of non-Christians. That won’t help settle things in the region in the least.

So clever I had to post this before offbeat Friday.

From NullWeKnow : “To promote a plastic surgeon’s office, this life scale poster was placed at the entrance of his office and by the elevator in the main lobby of the hospital building.”

Of course, telling people they will be “born again” through plastic surgery isn’t a very Catholic message.

{Ph/t: AmP reader Charles.}

The UK Daily Mail tries to make the case:

If his playlist is any indication, the Pope has the most catholic of musical tastes.

A selection posted on the Myspace website in the name of the Vatican features tracks from artists ranging from Shirley Bassey to rapper Tupac Shakur.

The list is one of several offered in a new music service from Myspace in which celebrities are asked to name their favourite songs.

… The Vatican list is far from an ecclesiastical top ten, although it does include songs from the album Music From The Vatican and Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

Of course, the list was actually created by a third party, which explains the (ahem) “eclectic”�picks:

The 12-strong Vatican list was put together by Father Giulio Neroni, artistic director of St Paul’s Multimedia, a church publisher.

He was the man behind the recent Alma Mater album, which combined Gregorian chants and prayers with classical music and the voice of Pope Benedict speaking in five languages.

It is not known if the Pope has ever heard any of the songs.

Well let me clear up that open question – the pope doesn’t listen to 2Pac. Seriously.

Ranked directly ahead of Italian Prime Minister (and full-time buffoon) Silvio Berlusconi and right behind richest-man-in-the-world Bill Gates, Forbes profiles Pope Benedict:

I think this is completely overblown:

Or should I say, totally cool:

The president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, shared this week that the Holy Father has an appreciation for new developments in technology and is comfortable surfing the internet and using email.

During an interview with the program �Studio Aperto� on the Italia 1 TV network, Archbishop Celli added, while the Pope doesn’t have a personal email address, he �sends his own personal emails. He does! He has great appreciation for new technology.�

The archbishop explained that while the Pope �cannot respond to the millions of messages that arrive in his inbox,� he is committed to �offering his prayers for all who write to him.�

�The internet is an excellent means of communication,� he continued. �We are seeking to be present where the people are, especially the youth.� (CNA)

I wonder if the Pope reads AmP?!

To my knowledge, we still don’t have a picture of Pope Benedict using a computer.

John Paul II preferred Dell laptops (with some papal customization, of course):

Totally 1337.

A series of study sessions this week on the topic of�astrobiology sponsored by the Vatican Observatory and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences is drawing all sorts of silly speculation and headlines�in the mainstream press – everything from “Does Jesus save aliens?” to “ET calls the pope?”

Someone call Old Navy, Jesus wants His Sacred Heart back:

I’m not kidding.

AmP reader Douglas lets us know about a�newly ordained Priest for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis who is the chaplain and an assistant coach at Cardinal Ritter High School which is the #1 ranked school in class 2A (for football that is). �

They just finished the regular season 8-1. �Father Hollowell is one heck of a coach it seems.

The local diocesan paper reports:�Faith, football and a fatherly instinct: Father John Hollowell knows joy and passion as a priest, teacher and coach

Also:�A football Friday in the life of Father John Hollowell.

As we prepare for the Holloween season (which seems to become a bigger and bigger deal in the United States each year, and that probably isn’t a healthy sign), let’s see what our Protestant brothers and sisters are planning.

PCANews at the Christian Broadcasting Network website has come up with a way to overcome the satanic/occult aspects of Halloween – a Reformation Day party! They explain it:

October 31 celebrates the day that the Reformation in Europe began with Martin Luther posting his 95 theses on the Wittenburg church door, leading to a firestorm response in Germany. Why not use this occasion for a celebration of our Reformed heritage. And yes, this can be fun for the kids too!

[Here is what Reformation day involves:]

Why not have a celebration at church where all get dressed up as characters from the Reformation (I’ve dressed up as John Calvin, Martin Luther, a peasant, and even John Tetzel (the salesman of those infamous indulgences)? When I couldn’t get a 16th century idea then I dressed as a Bible character. You can transform the fellowship hall into Wittenburg, Germany or Geneva. Here is an opportunity to go over the great “solas” of the Reformation: by Scripture alone, by grace alone, by Christ alone, by faith alone, and to God be the glory alone. Have people explain them. Show a video of one of the reformers. Draw murals of Reformation events.

Here are some other things our church has done over the years: Medieval line dancing (a lot like Scottish line dancing), Medieval relay races (put the indulgences in the bottle), bobbing for apples, German cover dish dinner, acting out your character (don’t tell anyone who you are, but act it out — the ideas are limited only by time and background).

It’s ironic that protestants are choosing Holloween to celebrate the Reformation, considering that many Catholic families celebrate All Souls Day by dressing as Catholic saints. Of course – protestants probably won’t be up for a good old-fashioned cult of the saints party like we are.

Then again, if protestants can play “put the indulgences in the bottle” to get in touch with their historical roots, and baptists can have bonfires burning Catholic bibles and books on spirituality by Catholic saints, maybe Catholics could celebrate Reformation Day by starting bonfires and burning figurines of heretics to get in touch with our historical roots?

(… I’m totally kidding of course. Well … mostly.)

This is a *classic* off-beat Catholic story….

The Aiken Standard:

Andrew Trapp’s interest in becoming a priest dates back to fifth grade at St. Mary of Help of Christians School in Aiken.

He followed through on that path. Now 28, Trapp is serving as the assistant pastor at St. Michael Catholic Church in Garden City Beach.
Father Trapp has a new moniker in recent weeks – the poker-playing priest. He’s good at it, too. In a tape-delayed broadcast from Los Angeles on Fox on Sunday, Trapp beat a professional poker player to win $100,000 – an unexpected prize he will donate to St. Michael’s fundraising efforts for a new church building.

… But he’s quick to point out to the kids that he’s not advocating serious gambling. The online qualifying tournaments had no entry fee, and his trip to Los Angeles was provided expense-free.

Earlier, Trapp had gotten permission from his parish priest and bishop to pursue the poker challenge.

I think there should be a ministry dedicated to people in casinos.

I’ve seen poker players use sunglasses to confuse their opponents.

I wonder how the other players felt this time�around�about playing across from a roman collar.

… I mean, I wonder if they fell for the Trapp.

*zing!*