Loose Lips in the Loggia (My Kid Brother’s Birthday Edition)

This edition of our usual Thursday feature appears on the same day as my kid brother's birthday. That's all of us on Easter Sunday back in 1963, with Steve on the right. (It was during his bow-tie phase.) Closer to the present, he also wears a black hat, but since he wouldn't dare settle for being a cheap imitation of the real thing, he has his own style -- not an "outback" hat, but a "bowler."

Meanwhile, here's what's bouncing around the bandwidth of believers lately:

• If we're going to name a pope "the Great" if he gets enough media exposure, it might be helpful to know just how short the list is, and why. [Catholic Answers]

• Filed under "We Should Have Seen This Coming," a joint arrangement between a Catholic and an Episcopal parish -- "blended" is what it's called, or something -- [The Deacon's Bench]

• Hey, how's that gay marriage thing working out with the "United" Methodists? [Reason.TV]

• If just about every development in Western civilization was invented by either the Church or one of Her people, it should come as no surprise that a priest invented ... [Crisis]

• A girl wears a tuxedo with a bow-tie for her Catholic high school yearbook photo instead of a dress as required. The school pulls the photo. Everybody who pays an awful lot of money to attend a school that teaches what they don't believe has a fit. Go figure. [The Deacon's Bench]

• Finally, a bunch of idiots in Cincinnati pay for a billboard that asks if Pope Francis would sign the new Catholic school teacher contract. He already has a job. Besides, who are they to judge? [Cleveland Plain Dealer]

Well, that's our story and we're stickin' to it. Remember to attend Holy Mass this Sunday. Until the next weekly chattel of church chat, stay tuned, and stay in touch.