Ronald Knox, born into an Anglican family in Leicestershire, England,  converted to the Roman Catholic faith in 1917, four years after being ordained in the Church of England. Two years later he was ordained a Catholic priest.

He soon found his new church didn’t know quite what to do with him or other converts like him. He famously observed:

“We’re like a bird who has got into a room where there is a cocktail party. Everyone is delighted we’re there, but no one knows what to do with us.”

Not much has changed since then, or so I would have said before hearing the recent news about the Anglican Apostolic Constitution.

Just last month, in fact, the National Catholic Register offered an article titled The Convert Clergy Conundrum. Telling the story of “Tom,” a former minister — whose story is a compilation of  various Christian ministers/priests who crossed the Tiber — the article begins,

…..He…

credit:chausa

Standing apart from the avalanche of news stories, editorials, blogs, spin, misinformation and disinformation re the House and Senate’s rapidly morphing health care reform plan(s), was a recent, feisty, fast-paced one-hour TV interview with St. Louis-based Sr. Carol Keehan, President and CEO of the Catholic Health Association.

Joining Sr. Keehan on EWTN’s The World Over Live last Friday was American Life League President Judie Brown and the show’s host, Raymond Arroyo.

The questions put to Sr. Keehan were many. Among them:

Is the official Catholic response a confused one, with the USCCB support at odds with Cardinal Rigali’s non-negotiable abortion challenge?

Why won’t CHA explicitly demand that all assaults on the human person be excluded from any proposed health plan?

Sister Keehan stated that “One non-negotiable is abortion”. How willing is she to leverage that statement? [We learned today of Planned Parenthood' confidence of abortion playing a central role in the final version of the health care bill.]

Are the…

Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the United States, beginning with his arrival Tuesday afternoon, will be heavily covered by television, radio and print media.

The following links are likely to be more informed than most:

TV/Radio: EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network): Go here for a quick look at the Pope’s schedule. Of particular interest will be ongoing coverage by anchor Raymond Arroyo (weekly presenter of The World Over Live, EWTN, Fridays, 7:00PM, CST); co-host Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, Editor in Chief of FIRST THINGS — and one of the top 10 intellectuals in the U.S. according to the New York Times; Carl Anderson, head of the Knights of Columbus.

Radio: Revelant Radio. Click onto Relevant Radio’s Listen Now section to learn how to listen through your computer. Of particular interest will be interviews by Sheila Liaugminas who will be speaking with Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J. and George Weigel as well as Helen Hull Hitchcock (director of Women for Faith & Family), and Colleen…

Want to know more about the Pope? With the papal visit to the United States two weeks away, Edward Cardinal Egan, Archbishop of New York offers a pithy, short bio of Pope Benedict XVI.

Meanwhile, Bill Donohue, Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, is so certain the media will get more than a few facts wrong, he has made a prediction: “Look for Pope Benedict XVI to be compared unfavorably to his predecessor, John Paul II. All of a sudden, those who had no use for Pope John Paul II will now anoint him a positive force, the purpose of which is to discredit Benedict. Here’s what they will say….. ”

The Pew Forum, perhaps not having read Mr. Donohue’s prediction, printed this: “…..the current pontiff continues to be less highly regarded than his predecessor, Pope John Paul II……”

Not all media is getting it wrong. TIME magazine coverage is given a thumbs-up by EWTN. Click onto…