Free Republic

“Yet for all the high-level packaging, The Priests really are the genuine article, who deliver the classic church music they have always sung, from Ave Maria to O Holy Night, in perfect harmony.” ....

They're delaying their purchase of a new car. They're thinking twice before dining out. But you know the economy is tough when consumers are even reducing their purchases of that Christmas staple: the fruitcake. Monasteries and abbeys across the United States -- where fruitcake baking is the traditional work of Trappist monks -- are reporting a modest dip in sales. In some cases, the number of orders are about the same, but their dollar amounts have been trimmed. "We're right along with everybody else," said the Rev. Richard Layton, business manager of Our Lady of Guadalupe Trappist Abbey in Lafayette,...

PATCHOGUE, N.Y. — Snowflake parties have been multiplying, winter light festivals have been abounding, and holiday concerts have filled school halls with joyous tones.But Christians are saying, “Enough with the political correctness run amok. We want our Christmas back!” Consider: When Patchogue Village on Long Island, N.Y., renamed its Christmas boat parade a “holiday” event, Fireworks by Grucci dropped its $5,000 donation. Three thousand supportive calls, e-mails and letters poured into the company. Philip Butler, the company’s vice president, even received e-mail thanks from a U.S. Army colonel in Iraq.When the American Humanist Association, a Washington, D.C.-based atheist group, launched...

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — There will be no Christmas trees this year at the two main libraries at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. The News & Observer of Raleigh reports trees have been in the lobby of the Wilson and Davis libraries for years. Michalak said she eliminated the displays after getting questions and complaints from employees and library users about the Christian display.

History and Symbolism of the Advent Wreath December 4th, 2008 by Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur The lights of the candles on the Advent Wreath break through the darkness, reminding us of the Light of Christ that we anticipate during this holy season. Where did this tradition come from, of lighting four candles in an evergreen wreath to mark the weeks preceding Christmas? Like many of our Church traditions, the use of candles in the midst of late fall and winter was originally a pagan tradition. Rev. William Saunders, who wrote an article in the “Arlington Catholic Herald” on this topic, states that “pre-Germanic...

The Nativity Project Proponents of public displays of nativity scenes are taking a pro-active approach for the 2008 holiday season. Last Thursday, organizers of the Nativity Project placed a display on the sidewalk outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. Their point: That it’s completely legal for private citizens to place religious displays on public sites. Rev. Rob Schenck is the president of the National Clergy Council, which is a co-sponsor of the Nativity Project. “This is not only okay, it is to be encouraged,” Schenck said, CBNNews.com reported. “In fact the more we exercise this right the stronger...

Archbishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk said in an interview with the L’Osservatore Romano this week that the situation in Iraq “is quite good and this means refugees could return to their homes. There are hundreds of empty and abandoned rooms and tents that await the return of Christians...”

The annual tree lighting in December at the U.S. Capitol is representative of many things, including hope, faith, patriotism, Christmas and the birth of Jesus Christ, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said during the tree-lighting ceremony on Tuesday. The speaker attended the event with the Montana congressional delegation, the state which donated this year’s Capitol Christmas tree...