News & Miscellany Roundup

It's been a very long time since I've featured a News & Miscellany Roundup and unfortunately, a fair amount of these articles are a bit dated. Anyways, I still think they might be of interest. Enjoy!

The Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, MN was recently designated as the National Shrine of St. Paul. The title of a "National Shrine" is generally bestowed on a church that has a special devotion to a given saint. An increase of pilgrims is expected because of this designation. Read more here.

An interesting article appeared titled "What do Pope John Paul II and Hugh Hefner have in Common?" It give an interesting view of Catholic sexuality in the light of John Paul's Theology of the Body.

KTIC hosted its annual Great Nebraska Tractor Ride this past June. We had a grand total of 182 tractors! The Fremont Tribune has a great article with photos here.

Another article on the Tractor Ride in the Ashland Gazette here.

Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Brainard, NE completed a massive restoration and renovation. Work included restored high and side altars, paint and stenciling, flooring and more - all for a whapping price tag of $200,000. Read the full article and see a photo here. Hopefully I can get to Brainard sometime soon to get photos of this renovation!

Probably one of Nebraska's lesser-known breweries, Spilker Ales in Cortland was featured in the Norris Public Power District's Magazine. Read the interesting article (in .pdf form) here.

Back in the 1950s, St. John's Abbey in Collegeville, MN established Trinity Monastery in Japan. In the 1990s, this monastery moved from Tokyo to a rural area outside of Fujimi. Today, this monastery is thriving. The Minnesota Post has a fascinating story about its growth here.

Immaculata Benedictine Monastery in Norfolk, NE was rededicated after nearly two years of renovations. For photos of the renovated chapel, click here. To see photos of the chapel prior to the renovation, click here.