Internet? I Don't Need No Stinkin' Internet!*

2008 Catholic Almanac

How many priests are there in Libya?
16.

Thomas J. Olmsted's birthday?
Jan. 21, 1947.
(Who the heck is he? The bishop of Phoenix.)

What does the word "apologetics" really mean?
The science and art of developing and presenting the case for the reasonableness of the Christian faith, by a wide variety of means including facts of experience, history, science, philosophy. The constant objective of apologetics, as well as of the total process of pre-evangelization, is preparation for response to God in faith; its ways and mean,s however, are subject to change in accordance with the various needs of people and different sets of circumstances.

Which decisions by the Supreme Court have had an effect on religion in the United States?

The answer to that one is too lengthy to report here but if you, too, had your copy of the 2008 Catholic Almanac from Our Sunday Visitor then it would be a snap to answer. It makes deeply interesting reading as well.

I have to admit that when I pulled this out of a box of books that Our Sunday Visitor sent me, I had to laugh. The idea of a Catholic almanac seemed ludicrous. However, leafing through it soon shut my mouth. Intending to spend a few minutes looking it over, I looked up to find I had spent more than an hour going through from beginning to end, marveling at the wealth of information at my fingertips. I recognized the simple truth of the review printed on the back cover:

Our Sunday Visitor claims this work is the one and only Catholic resource, and simply the best annual guide to the Catholic Church anywhere. These are bold statements, but accurate--- This excellent work is especially useful for those interested in either the Roman Catholic Church or the Holy See--- It is informative, easy to use, and well written. --American Reference Books Manual

Probably of the most interest to those who have previous years' editions will be the first section which covers news and events from the past year including papal trips, papal documents and announcements, and special reports from international and national news. However, for the rest of us who might need an overall resource other sections contain not only the statistics one might expect but key information about the teachings and doctrine of the Church, summaries of Church history, details about saints canonized during the previous year, a chronology of U.S. Catholic history, descriptions of Eastern churches (both Catholic and Orthodox) and much more.

Truly this is one place that you don't need an internet connection to have the basics about the Catholic Church ready to hand at a moment's notice. Highly recommended.

*With apologies to The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
(Cross--posted at Catholic Media Review.)