Last week in Kansas City-St. Joseph, the diocese lay review board was called to meet by the bishop to “discuss” recent events involving the sexual abuse of children. Too bad the board got wind of things a few years too late. For those of you who don’t know, Fr. Sean Ratigan was arrested in late…Continue reading The Puppet Show: The Utter Failure of Diocese Lay Review Boards
I have built up a pretty thick skin towards institutional misogyny. Growing up Catholic, I was carefully conditioned to accept my lot: I could never be an altar boy; girls were seductive; boys were smarter; positions of power were always held by men; Eve’s sin is my burden; my rolled uniform skirt is the reason…Continue reading Why Do We Hate Our Girls?
or: The amazingly well-written, life-changing, relevant, engaging, exciting and immensely readable book proposal that the New York publishing machine determined that no one wanted to read. There was a study published recently showing that rejection (romantic or otherwise) causes physical pain. I wholeheartedly agree. Why? Last week, after a five-month sales push by my big-time…Continue reading The Orphan
Here’s a parenting question: Do you know what we can do right now to empower our kids, help prevent sexual abuse, hinder bullies, put criminals behind bars and foster corporate and organizational transparency? The Answer: We have to stop punishing our tattletales. A Little Background I spend most of my afternoons watching the neighborhood kids…Continue reading A Parenting Revelation: It’s Time To Stop Punishing Tattletales
I don’t really like talking politics. But today, it’s all about politics. Roll Call reported last week that Nancy Pelosi and John Boehner had agreed upon a new House Chaplain: a Jesuit priest from the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus (Oregon Jesuits), Fr. Patrick Conroy. Victims were outraged. Why? In March, the Oregon…Continue reading The Plague on Both Your Houses, Boehner and Pelosi