Year-End Stuff that Caught My Attention

Top 10 Vatican Stories, counting back from #10 to #1:


Here's the wise and ever-astute Elizabeth Scalia's take on 8 Big Stories that Shaped 2010.

Lisa Hendey's posted her Most Fascinating Catholics of 2010 over at Faith and Family. (Yours truly is an astonished listee.)

One of my favorite stories from this year was quite recent... in the Catholic-Spiritual-Life department comes this news from Green Bay Wisconsin about the previous appearances of the Blessed Mother to Adele Brise, in 1859, taking place just shortly after the appearances at Lourdes. There's a slide show here.

My favorite song of the year goes to "Better Than A Hallelujah" sung by Amy Grant, but penned by that perennial Catholic songwriter and performer, Sarah Hart, and Chapin Hartford.  The song is up for a Grammy nomination.

And, totally unrelated, but just cuz I love photography, here are three entries:

• Since we're still Christmasing Catholics, Thomas Peters gives us a look at St Peter's Square.
• The New York Times Year in Photos, fwiw, tho' I thought it was light on photos from the Gulf oil spill, and the Chilean miners event.
• Some great and beautiful random photos from Reuters.

And going forward into the calendar New Year, here's George Weigel, keeping an eternal perspective, along with biblically-based "resolutions"from Patrice Fagnant MacArthur.