If you’ve ever felt that being Catholic is misunderstood by the popular media, look no further than the www.democratandchronicle.com site today to find a rotating display of 20 truly bizarre stories — ranging from a pig who won’t come out from under a truck, to a gold find off Florida’s coast, to a still-tasting-good 60 year old wedding cake. But the strangest of all, handled somewhat in the same tone as “Woman marries herself (substitute her dog, her parrot, or 6 friends” in the lead banner) is what doubtless the media thinks the strangest of all: “Woman Marries Jesus Christ.” Yes, they’ve only missed more than a millennium’s worth of stories about those vowed to God in convents and monasteries around the world, as well as stories of those taking solemn vows outside of an order.
The story comes from the Diocese of Fort Wayne, and is journaled in “Today’s Catholic News”.
Obviously, from the picture, the bishop presided and a solemn event was celebrated. However the Newsy reporter is stunned, absolutely flabbergasted, by a story that a woman married Jesus! What a scoop! Enjoy. We know who has the last laugh.
Edit: the full video is available here
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I’m not sure it’s fair to categorize the videos as “truly bizarre.” While there are definitely some oddities, about half of the featured videos are hard-news, sports or feel-good human-interest pieces. These videos don’t constitute the “freak corner.”
Nor would I categorize the report as “stunned” or “flabergasted.” From where I stand, she delivers the story in a perfectly common tone and style. (Not as “professional” as we saw from reporters 20-30 years ago, but that’s not the norm anymore.)
I actually thought the video was well done and – for a non-religious new source – respectful. It didn’t appear to mock or ridicule. (One could argue that newsy knows that joe-public will look on with scorn or amusement, but have they done anything other than share the absolute truth of a story, allowing the subject to speak for herself?)
I’d go so far as to say that I’m GLAD for this news piece. This sort of coverage is exactly what Al Kresta speaks of when he says we need to prepare to be identified as a people set-apart from the world. Our ways and beliefs are about to become noticeably “different” than those of the world.
Embrace it.
Fair enough, Ludwig. I can see how different people can have widely varying opinions. After all, it’s not doctrine.
I wrote after listening twice through, after being surprised by the attention-getting headline and its environment of being among other “unusual” stories, and what I still see as a sensationalistic tone. I know that acting stunned is part of announcers’ stock in trade, to draw viewers. (But I admit I would not have thought so if it had been a Diocesan Courier headline.) After listening about 10x, it all softens and is less surprising, obviously. Perceptions vary, but first impressions are key since most viewers won’t see it more than once.
But that this is NEWS is what surprised me most of all, especially that the media itself seems so unaware of a large part of vocation practice, and am also surprised that she is the only one in an entire diocese. That all religious women are “Brides” of Christ seemed to be overlooked in the search for an element of sensationalism, IMO. And that there is no reference to the widespread,historic practice of vowed religious being Brides of Christ seemed also ignored in order to make a more radical news story. Unfortunately the cut-away soundbite to a single comment from the bride, choosing to focus on her neckline, would have been unnecessary in less sensationalistic coverage. This story is not a bad thing; it could even become an important invitation to some who are not called to life in an order but still want to serve in such a special way.
Putting aside the 2-legged dog and personal flame thrower stories, there are a number of feel-good stories on the 20 item rotating site … but of course the Rochester drive-by shooting commands a lot of the attention nationally.
Putting aside the 2-legged dog and personal flame thrower stories
Exactly, this is the Age of Clickbait, which is why I don’t click on anything peripheral that isn’t what I specifically pointed my browser at anymore. If the bottom of the page next to “10 Celebrities before plastic surgery” was a pic of Pope Francis captioned, “Holy Father bans the NO Mass!” I still wouldn’t click on it. 🙂
I also thought the story was presented sensationally when I read it. If you listen/read closely its not so sensationalist, but, for the average quick-reader, unfamiliar with Catholic truth, who is reading the sorts of stories that it was lumped with, its natural to react that this is some kind of weird “religious” idea. In our time its not only trendy but socially superior proclaim, “I’m spiritual, NOT religious”, and, “I don’t believe in organized religion” [as if disorganized religion is laudable?]. The “Bride of Christ” news is a useful justification for such beliefs. Read the comments. Certainly the reader response is no surprise to those who placed the story. Clearly, as fodder for scorners and scoffers. 🙁