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Ordination of Transitional Deacons Columnists and contributors Michael Pakaluk The vocation of a chicken Posted: 2/5/2010 Chesterton has an essay, “On Running after One’s Hat,” where he says that if the wind blows your cap off, make a game out of running to get it back, or if there’s a flood in your town, get into a boat, pop open a bottle of wine, and pretend that you’re vacationing in Venice. He’s not recommending that we make light of tragedy, but that we lighten it -- along the line of “whistle while you work” or “make a virtue of a necessity.” Jaymie Stuart Wolfe I can do all things Posted: 2/5/2010 I love the cathedral, and I love the Boston Catholic Women’s Conference. So, from my perspective, it would be hard to find a better way to spend a Lenten Saturday than at the cathedral attending this year’s Catholic Women’s Conference. On the last Saturday in February, the conference comes just as Lent hits full-swing. Perhaps that is why the theme of the event is particularly appropriate, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13) Dale O’Leary What can we do about Haiti? Posted: 2/5/2010 Everyone knows that before the earthquake, before the hurricanes, Haiti was a mess. What can we really do to help Haiti? Of course, immediate relief aid is needed and the American people have been tremendously generous. The people of Haiti have nothing and no resources to draw on. They need the basics -- food, water, tents, -- and they need them immediately, but the world cannot go on supporting an entire nation on charity forever. Now is the time to think about what to do in the future. Clark Booth Johnny, you hardly know them... Posted: 2/5/2010 Somehow the Yankees arrange one of these sly tricks every winter. Usually, they need a foil; a role often gleefully played by your pets, the Red Sox. But this year they managed it all by themselves. George Weigel Papal Environmentalism: pro-life and pro-marriage Posted: 1/29/2010 In his Jan. 11 address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See, Pope Benedict XVI continued to carve out an interesting Catholic position on ecology. The Pope insists that care for creation is a moral obligation that falls on both individuals and governments. His very invocation of “creation,” however, challenges the secular shibboleths that underwrite a lot of contemporary environmental activism. Clark Booth Hall of Fame reflections Posted: 1/29/2010 Maybe it’s just a by-product of the crankiness of the times. We’re adrift in an era that much favors whimpering and whining about everything. But as never before, gripes mount not just about who does or does not get elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame -- we’ve always had that -- but the process itself; who votes and why and whether they are qualified or even sincere. It’s getting nasty.	World Catholic teaching is not a list of ’no’s,’ pope tells Scottish bishops By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Catholic Church has a positive vision of human life, marriage and family which must not be presented as a list of things the church opposes, Pope Benedict XVI told the bishops of Scotland. Posted: 2/8/2010 Nation Abstinence programs get nod from study but still set to lose funding By Carol Zimmermann WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A new study about the effectiveness of abstinence education is good news for those who teach the topic, but it also could be too little, too late. Posted: 2/8/2010 Nation Cardinal: Group’s support of gay marriage not authentic church teaching By Nancy Frazier O'Brien WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has denounced a Maryland-based organization for its criticism of Catholic efforts to defend marriage as the union of one man and one woman and said it does not offer "an authentic interpretation of Catholic teaching." Posted: 2/8/2010 Nation Metuchen opens sainthood cause for Venezuelan mystic who died in US By James McEvoy METUCHEN, N.J. (CNS) -- The sainthood cause has formally opened for Maria Esperanza Medrano de Bianchini, a Venezuelan woman believed to have seen 31 apparitions of Mary who spread worldwide a message of family reconciliation and fraternal unity that she said Mary relayed to her. Posted: 2/8/2010 Local Three ordained as transitional deacons By Jim Lockwood BOSTON -- The three men who will be ordained to the priesthood in May took their last major step toward the altar this week. Posted: 2/5/2010 Latest news briefs from Catholic News Service Posted: 2/8/2010 Cardinal asks dialogue partners if an ecumenical catechism might work Salvadoran bishops to write Vatican to support Romero's sainthood Metuchen opens sainthood cause for Venezuelan mystic who died in US Catholic leaders outline steps they say are key for Haitian adoptions Shelter kits provide short-term solution for 35,000 homeless Haitians Makeshift studio in the back of van keeps Haiti's Radio Soleil on air Church committed to children, defends the right to a family, pope says Adequate nutrition is a fundamental right for all people, pope says Cardinal: Group's support of gay marriage not authentic church teaching