Dcn. Pat

A reminder for those Catholics in America thinking of not voting: "2240 Submission to authority and co-responsibility for the common good make it morally obligatory to pay taxes, to exercise the right to vote, and to defend one's country" www.vatican.va/content/cate...

My homily for the weekend is up on substack. patrickaouellette.substack.com/p/respect-li...

Spooky season special: The Library is home to the sole surviving nitrate print of the first film adaptation of "Frankenstein," produced in 1910 by the Edison Manufacturing Company! Watch the full film and learn how it came to the Library. ⬇️ blogs.loc.gov/loc/2018/11/...

When a Cat Co-Authored a Paper in a Leading Physics Journal (1975) www.openculture.com/2026/10/when...

It's not like the Catholic Church has been inconsistent in opposing capital punishment, even while recognizing it exists in the world www.usccb.org/committees/p...

Something symbolic about cleaning out the gutters while contemplating my ballot choices for the general election?

Rooftop solar install today. Crew arrived at dawn. Glad for cool weather for them. I admit, two people, a heavy duty pickup, and a trailer full of panels and rails is a lot less impressive than what I imagined.

It was only a matter of time before this regime came to this. apnews.com/article/fort...

People need to understand and shout at our politicians that this is unacceptable and it is 100% a result of the current adminiatration dismantling US foreign aid programs that kept us safe by taking care of our brothers and sisters around the world. We are all complicit if we fail to scream out.

I really hate to user absolutes and fear mongering, but the midterms are 100% a battle and referendum on what the USA will be for the next decade or more. If the Rs stay in power the USA will most likely become a facist dictatorship ruled by the mega-rich.

I'm not sure how anyone who supports taking a life can claim to be Catholic. JP II, Benedict, Francis, and Leo XIV all have been clear that the death penalty goes against the dignity of the human person. Yet 5 of 6 "Catholics" on the SC are fine with it. 6 of 7 if you count Gorsuch (raised Catholic)

Have you listened to our #podcast Deacons Pod yet? Please check out @deaconspod.bsky.social here or at your podcast player:

Deacon Greg Kandra is our guest on this week's new episode of our #podcast @deaconspod.bsky.social. @deacongreg.bsky.social is an award-winning journalist, author, blogger, speaker, and retreat leader. Here's a clip:

Remember when we had a robust vaccination program and people didn't get get measlesand die?

I want speaker Johnson to explain how if the economy is doing so great that squares woth a 0% raise for the federal workers - especially considering that means a net pay decrease after inflation and health care premium increases.

Someone needs to remind speaker Johnson that the first 2 rounds of COVID checks were passed with a divided congress and Trump in the White House. Also we don't have increasing take home pay and we have less money in our pockets today, not more due to the Republicans.

I never claimed to be good, or original. My homeletic musings for the 22nd Sunday year A 2026 substack.com/@patrickouel...

Publix had cherries...

Kathryn Muensterman, a Ph.D. student at @notredame.bsky.social, recently penned the @commonwealmagazine.org essay "From Summit to Source: On a Eucharistic Dialogue With the World." @grnmtnby.bsky.social and @deacondrew.bsky.social speak with Kathryn in this new episode of @deaconspod.bsky.social:

Dolly Parton and now Tim Curry. Who will be the third?

Words have specific meaning, they don't simply mean what you hope or think. It is important to understand that. Doubly so in legal matters.

Had a lovely conversation with Kathryn Muensterman about her recent @commonwealmagazine.org article on the Eucharist, "From Summit to Source," with Paulist Deacon Affiliate @deacondrew.bsky.social that I think you, too, will find enriching. megaphone.link/SM2658118769

Aren't we all

A lot of people claiming the administration will declare an "election emergency" to stop midterms. I'm not saying they won't try, but take a look at the Constitution Annotated site. Lots of talk about congress and the courts but no mention of the executive. constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay...

"If a family member or friend told you that they are thinking of leaving the Church ... or that they are thinking about returning to Mass after a time away ... what would you say to them to give them #hope?" That question is posed to the guests of our #podcast Deacons Pod (@deaconspod.bsky.social):

Well let's see what happens. Locally, 80/20 ground beef is at $7/lb today. That would make the 25% lower price about $5.25/lb. National ave today is $6.89/lb so 25% lower would be $5.17/lb and the ave on Jan 19,2025 was $6.22/lb. We all know that decrease to $5.17/lb is not going to happen.

"Medicare for all" is not enough. It represents inside the box thinking. Also why do people on Medicare need "supplemental plans" for prescription coverage and other benefits? It would really just be a continuation of the "big insurance" control of healthcare.

When people debating a political point bring out the #Scripture verses as tools (and as weapons), what do you do? @grnmtnby.bsky.social and @thetechydeacon.com posed that question to @litpress.bsky.social author Thomas Bolin in this week's new episode of our podcast @deaconspod.bsky.social:

A brand new episode of our podcast @deaconspod.bsky.social just dropped! Today, @grnmtnby.bsky.social and @thetechydeacon.com speak with author Thomas Bolin about his @litpress.bsky.social book "An Inspired Word in Season: Reading the Bible Responsibly in a Polarized World":

Has every small business just decided it isn't worth the bother? I've contacted 6 local companies for tree trimming. Several hounded me for additional contact information that I provided and they all ghosted. One did come out and give a verbal estimate but nada...

OK, if the US Government arranged the travel and forced the person to take it, how is it "unauthorized" apnews.com/article/daca...

Some things never change

If gen Z wants any change, let alone significant change, they are going to have to turn out at the polls as well as make their case to others. thehill.com/blogs/in-the...

I'm not sure how someone claiming to be the Texas State Chair of "Our Republican Legacy" can square what the current administration is doing with the opinion piece they wrote trying to slam an opposition political group. The cognitive dissonance is unbelievable. thehill.com/opinion/5993...

Unsurprisingly, a poorly catechized convert and a wayward bishop seem to miss the deeper meanings of Eucharist and communion. The convert might be excused as vincible ignorance, but the bishop ... www.ncronline.org/opinion/gues...

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