Today in Rome the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, released the second encyclical of his pontificate:  “Spe Salvi Factci Sumus - In Hope We Were Saved”. Read the new encyclical in its entirely, and in English, right here. 

I would do it all over again.

Book bound in skin of executed Jesuit to be auctioned in England

LONDON (CNS). A book bound in the skin of an executed Jesuit priest was to be auctioned in England. The macabre, 17th-century book tells the story of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot and is covered in the hide of Father Henry Garnet. The priest, at the time the head of the Jesuits in England, was executed May 3, 1606, outside St. Paul’s Cathedral in London for his alleged role in a Catholic plot to detonate 36 barrels of gunpowder beneath the British Parliament, an act that would have killed the Protestant King James I and other government leaders. The book, “A True and Perfect Relation of the Whole Proceedings Against the Late Most Barbarous Traitors, Garnet a Jesuit and His Confederates,” contains accounts of speeches and evidence from the trials. It measures about 6 inches by 4 inches, comes in a wooden box and will be auctioned Dec. 2 by Wilkinson’s Auctioneers in Doncaster, England. Sid Wilkinson, the auctioneer, said: “The front cover is rather spooky because where the skin has mottled or crinkled there looks to be a bearded face.”

Full story here.

H/T Colorado Springs Catholic Herald

Catholics United for the Faith gave us permission to reprint this handy guide on the history and symbolism of icons.

What are icons? In Eastern Christian heritage, icons are sacred images of Christ, Mary, and the saints, or of events in salvation history such as the Nativity or the Crucifixion. The very word “icon” comes from the Greek word for “image.”

To people unfamiliar with icons, including many Western Christians, icons may initially seem weird, unappealing, or even disturbing. They don’t look quite “right.” Their silence and stillness is demanding, untame, and even terrifying. But with education and experience, people grow to appreciate and love them.

Icons are more than decorative art or educational illustrations. Icons are “theology in color.” An icon is a place to receive grace through faith, a sacramental: Its purpose is to transport us into a transfigured world, to plant that transfigured world within us, to bring us face-to-face with a living presence and change us (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 1667-1679).

Iconography is rooted in the Incarnation. St. Paul wrote that Christ “is the image [literally, icon] of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15). “In former times,” wrote St. John of Damascus, “God, who is without form or body, could never be depicted. But now when God is seen in the flesh conversing with men, I make an image of the God whom I see” (cf. Catechism, nos. 1159-1162).

Read the rest.

Browse our icons or our whole Eastern Catholicism section.

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahLem-krZe4]

Remember the Fishers of Men video? Same producers.

Part 1:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9a1DpmCDuc]

Part 2:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_SXSpzx4hY]

H/T Crazy Acres

Remember when the US “Catholic” suggested that fornicating shouldn’t be considered a sin if those involved were planning on getting married? Now the magazine is praising the suicidal ideas of dying Catholic theologians who want to “fix” the Church’s problems.

 To succeed, each church needs freedom and flexibility. Though a limited universalism can go a long way toward maintaining unity of faith, rigid insistence on a single answer to practical challenges doesn’t help. As Schillebeeckx and theologians like him have long argued, now is the time to try new things.

How about just being Catholic instead?

H/T The Closed Cafeteria 

You think Catholic music is bad? The Evangelicals have their own problems:

Without theology in music, we are offering fluff that will not comfort when bridges collapse and test reports are negative. Songwriters could provide true hope if they would write about the sovereignty of God rather than crying about “how safe I feel when Jesus is holding me.”

Charles Spurgeon had the same criticism of “Hymns for Heart and Voice” published in 1855. He condemned the hymns as being “little better than mermaids, nice to look at but dangerous because they cannot deliver what they promise.”

Read it all.

 Here’s the cure. You should also sign up for this workshop.

From Closed Cafeteria comes a wonderful reflection on the priest’s role at Mass:

The old Missal’s rubrical micromanagement made me feel like a mere machine, devoid of personality; but, I wondered, is that really so bad? I actually felt liberated from a persistent need to perform, to engage, to be forever a friendly celebrant. When I saw a photo of the old Latin Mass in our local newspaper, I suddenly recognized the rite’s ingenious ability to shrink the priest. Shot from the choir loft, I was a mere speck of green, dwarfed by the high altar. The focal point was not the priest but the gathering of the people. And isn’t that a valid image of the church, the people of God?

 Read the rest.

I recently saw several yard signs around town for a company / individual that hangs Christmas lights. The sign looks like it was made by my six-year-old daughter. Just picture the stereotypical “Lemonade 5c” and you’ll get the picture. Would you trust these folks to safely and properly hang your Christmas lights?

The first impression your company makes on potential customers is crucial. Many studies have been done showing that the first impressions make a lasting impact in relationships and that would include business relationships.

So, where does your business make its first impressions? If you say at your front door, you need to go write a marketing plan and figure out how to attract people who aren’t just walking by.

Your first impression to new customers should be through some form of marketing. Here are some suggestions for making that “distant first impression” - to people who have never been to your store and would never know about it unless they saw something about it in an ad or a business card.

Company Identity

Does your business have an identity? Could you ask your regular customers what your store is and get an answer that matches your vision? Do you have a vision? If not, get some ideas on a company purpose. Quickly:

• What products do you focus on the most? Books? Gifts? Church supplies?
• Are you a Catholic store, an anti-Catholic store or a Christian store with Catholic stuff?
• Do you cater to more expensive tastes or stick to inexpensive devotionals?
• Do you carry stuff from China?
• Are you in the business of educating Catholics, evangelizing or just selling stuff?

All these are questions you need to answer before you even open your doors. If you already opened your doors and didn’t answer these questions, spend this weekend doing it.

Once you have decided what you want your identity to be, share it with your employees and get input. If everyone can’t buy in to your vision you are either going to have to adjust the vision or have some people find a new job. I know this sounds harsh, but if you decide to only sell truly Catholic products and your front counter person is recommending books by heretics, your customers won’t trust you.

Write down your vision. Now, start coming up with ideas on how to share it with your customers. At Aquinas and More we wanted to be a Catholic company that promotes the Faith and actually guarantees the reliability of the products we carry. We created a “Good Faith Guaranty” and have it all over our website and our physical store.

We also made a list of reasons to shop with us on our website. Can you name any other Catholic web site that actually displays imprimaturs?

Okay, so you have a vision and a plan on how it will be shared with your customers. Do you have a logo that fits your vision? Is your logo professional? Will it display well in different mediums and in black and white? Is your logo used consistently on everything you print and mail?

Successful Business Card Tips

Okay, so you have your vision and a great logo. do you have business cards? Business cards are an inexpensive way to spread the word about your store. Carry some in your purse / wallet and give them to anyone you meet if they ask you what you do or where you work.

So what should be on a business card?

• Company name and logo
• Address
• Phone number
• Website - if you don’t have one, get one
• Email
• Your purpose distilled down into a single phrase. Our slogan is “Rebuilding Catholic culture, one soul at a time.”
• Your name

That stuff can all easily fit on the front of the card. What about the back? Yes, you can have stuff printed on the back and should use the real estate if you can. Some ideas for the back:

• List of general product categories
• Store hours
• Regular events
• Mass times for your local parish
• A favorite quote from a saint / pope that somehow reinforces your vision

We have seen a store that prints its business information on the back of holy cards with the rational that people never throw away holy cards. Not a bad idea. Just make sure that the holy card reinforces your vision.

Yellow Page Ads

You should have some sort of ad in the yellow pages. If there are other Catholic / Christian stores in town, figure out where they are in the phone book. Your ad doesn’t have to be huge - your customer base is going to be looking for you. It isn’t like being a work injury lawyer who is competing against a million other lawyers for the customers’ attention.

Your ad should contain the same things as your business card but you need to focus any mention of products on things that someone using the phone book is most likely to be looking for - gift items. Mention First Communion and Baptism gifts. Family Bibles are also a good draw. If you sell church supplies, consider getting a second ad in that section o