Links for you from my emailbox and surfing:

Christopher Blosser’s mega-super-gigantic Benedict roundup for October.

Fr. Neuhaus was in Cleveland last week, speaking on the pro-life movment; Dave Hartline report

(Also check out information about Dave’s forthcoming book, The Tide is Turning Toward Catholicism)

Canonist Ed Peters interviewed at Insight Scoop. Did you ever wonder what excommunication really is? He’s written a book, and discusses it here.

Fr. Jim Tucker posts Latin/English text and an mp3 of the Gregorian chant Media vita in morte sumus

Sancte Deus,
Sancte fortis,
Sancte misericors Salvator,
amaræ morti ne tradas nos.

Holy God,
Holy Strong One,
Holy and Merciful Saviour,
Do not hand us over to a bitter death

.The Adventures of Family Man!

The Adventures of Family Man! is a new series airing on The Catholic Channel and other Catholic stations around the country.  This daily, 90 sec spot will offer encouragement and a faithful take on research that affects the family.

Check out John Farrell’s short story, published in Doublethink, "Milk of Mallie"

The CNS "News Hub" has several good links, including a special section on the plague of pornography, from the KC (KS) paper and a profile of the new mayor of Pittsburgh from, well, Pittsburgh.

Fr. Philip Powell OP’s exhortation on vocations is worth a listen and/or a read, definitely.

Boom and bust:

In the last thirty years more mosques and Muslim prayer centers have been built in France than Catholic churches in the last century.  Spanish weekly Alba revealed the statistics last week which, they say, indicate a Muslim boom in a nation historically considered “the eldest daughter of the Church.”

According to the publication, “immigration in France has led to a strong growth in the building of mosques and evangelical places of worship, which has been paralleled by the decrease in Catholic churches.  France now has more than 1,500 mosques, almost as many as exist in Istanbul, Turkey.”

The publication also notes that “in that last five years the Catholic Church has built 20 churches, mostly in Paris, Pontoise, and Nice, and 60 churches have been decommissioned.”