Month: May 2011

No guidance on veg fasting from UK bishops

The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales last week decided “to re-establish the practice of Friday penance in the lives of the faithful as a clear and distinctive mark of their own Catholic identity.”

In practice, this means a return to “no meat on Fridays” for British Catholics.

From the resolution:

The Bishops have decided to re-establish the practice that this should be fulfilled by abstaining from meat. Those who cannot or choose not to eat meat as part of their normal diet should abstain from some other food of which they regularly partake.

Nice nod to vegetarianism. As a long time vegan, I always fret about what “some other food” I should give up Fridays in Lent. Soy seems an obvious one, but has tended to be more annoying than helpful. I’m curious to see if UK veg Catholics develop any traditions and practices around “some other food.”

I’m having a hard time at the moment (as I sometimes do, just worse), and I’m drawn to the idea of re-establishing weekly penance in my life. Prayer and fasting are always my last resort when I’m having a hard time, despite the fact that they most always work. One of the great blessings of going to mass with the late Father Bernie every Friday was that every week he’d encourage us to pray, and every week I’d think “Oh yeah, forgot about that,” and then I’d pray for a day or two, and many issues would be resolved. And then by the next Friday I’d already be out of the habit and in need of another reminder.

Cardinal Newman talk at Worcester Catholic Worker

The Significance of Cardinal Newman

Come see a slide presentation by Mike True on the recently beatified John Henry Cardinal Newman, Catholic convert, theologian, and extraordinary voice for conscience and faith.

Wednesday, May 18: 7:00 pm

SS. Francis and Therese Catholic Worker
52 Mason Street, Worcester, MA 508 753-3588
Refreshments to follow. Free and open to the public.

Mike True, a professor emeritus of English at Assumption College, is a devoted admirer and student of Newman.

508 #153: What do you want the candidates to be discussing as they compete for votes in this year’s City Council election?

508 is a show about Worcester. This week’s panel is Benito Vega, Gary Rosen, Brendan Melican, and a very special mute guest.

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You can watch 508 Fridays at 7pm on WCCA TV13.

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T&G circulation 79,168 under new system

The Audit Bureau of Circulations, using a new system, is measuring daily circulation of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette at 79,168. They note that because the new system measures certain aspects of circulation differently, these numbers shouldn’t be compared with previous numbers.

What the heck, let’s make a chart anyway.

Boston Globe:

Under the new system, total circulation is now divided into paid circulation for newspaper copies that are bought by the consumer and a new “verified circulation’’ category for copies bought by third parties, such as colleges. The new methodology also counts electronic editions and will break out readership numbers for those who get their news using a paid website, like BostonGlobe.com, or through a mobile device or e-reader.

T&G apparently can pull out part of the report for a direct comparison of readership numbers, if not daily circulation: “T&G readership is up 5.6 percent”:

“While the many ABC rules changes make any comparisons to prior years problematic, our readership remains strong,” said Tony Simollardes, director of readership and circulation.

“The 5.6 percent increase in total readership documented by Scarborough Research as part of the ABC report can be compared directly to the previous year and indicates our print and online products are striking the right chord with our Central Massachusetts audience,” he said.