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They wired up some Carmelite nuns, asked them to get mystical and found… Rather than reveal a spiritual centre in the brain, a module of neural circuits specifically designed for religious experience, the study demonstrated that a dozen different regions of the brain are activated during a mystical experience. In other words, mystical experiences are…

R. R. Reno has a really meaty post over at First Things, evaluating various graduate programs (not just Catholic of course) – across the country. Too bad there’s no comments section over there – I imagine it would get hot. The Divinity School at the University of Chicago has problems as well. It has some…

Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone will assume his role as the Vatican Secretary of State on September 15. (For those who don’t know what that is and what it entails – the page on the Vatican website is quite helpful) It’s quite an important role because the Secretary of State provides an valuable window into the mind…

Lifesite news notes the release (on 8/4) of the Program for Priestly Formation issued by the USCCB (that link is to the original document – pdf file). The Lifesite article: The Program instructs not only the seminarian but also the seminary to be faithful to the totality of Catholic teaching on sexuality.  "The teaching of…

Another great blog to check out regularly is In Forum, from writer and broadcaster Sheila Liaugminas. She’s a great source for good analysis of politics and religion in particular, and she’s got two recent posts looking at the situation with abortion law in South Dakota, an issue to which she’s devoted a lot of time…

Do check out the excellent blog, Mystagogia, of Kathleen Lundquist, for many reasons, not the least of which is her rather spooky account of a visit to Milledgeville and various Flannery O’Connor sites…

We hope…although concerns are being raised about a new novel, published and selling well in Turkey, premised on the assassination of Pope Benedict during his November visit to the country. Not a joke. Here’s an article (scroll down) looking at the novel and reflecting on the extent to which it reflects Turkish views on Christianity:…

From today’s General Audience, via AsiaNews: After presenting historical data about Matthew-Levi, a collector at Capernaum, the pope expressed his reflections. Above all, there is the fact that “Jesus welcomed into a group of his intimate friends a man who, according to the ideas in vogue in Israel at the time, was held to be…

There’s interest building about this film, The Nativity Story, a retelling of, well…that’s obviousl It’s directed by Catherine Hardwicke, who directed the well-regarded, if controversial and brutal Thirteen (brutal for its honesty I understand. I’ve not seen it) and it stars Keisha Castle-Hughes, the marvelous young star of Whale Rider, as Mary. The first link…

I learned yesterday that it’s illegal, in Catholic terms (I guess that would be canonically) – to allow a saint, once canonized, to remain buried underground. Can anyone confirm? I’m trying to think of exceptions I’ve seen…but I really can’t. Et vous? (I heard it re/the Sisters of Providence in Terre Haute. Their founder, Mother…
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