On this day 11 years ago, Mother Teresa, sometimes called the saint of the gutters, died. Story here.

The Jesuit magazine America weighs in on John McCain’s acceptance speech last night:

“Given the shameful way that George W. Bush defeated John McCain in 2000, you could not help feeling that a wrong had been righted as McCain accepted his party’s nomination. But, the John McCain of 2008 is a far cry from the John McCain of 2000. Then, he truly was a maverick. Today, saying it won’t make it so.”

The whole story is here.

Updates here on these saints in waiting: Cardinal John Henry Newman, Sr. Alphonsa Muttathupadathu and Lewis and Zellie Martin.

Regarding Newman, Time magazine asks: Was a Would-be Saint Gay? Story, which is far more thoughtful and diplomatic than the headline suggests, is here. A blog defense and reaction here.

In her On Faith column in the Washington Post, Sally Quinn offers some compelling reading on the controversy of the day. An excerpt:

“My first reaction was shock. Then anger. John McCain chose a running mate simply because she is a woman and one who appealed to the Republican’s conservative evangelical base. Now, with news that Palin’s 17-year-old unmarried daughter is pregnant, McCain’s pick may not even find support among “family values” voters.”  Read the whole story here.

The Los Angeles Times today reports other contradictions. “But under her leadership, the state of Alaska has requested 31 earmarks worth $197.8 million in next year’s federal budget, according to the website of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), the former chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.”

From the blog Stuff Catholics Like: “We all have fears and phobias. The Church has saints to protect you from them. Print this list out and carry it with you so you will have the prayers you need to get you through the terrors of every day life.” The amusing list is here.

By the way, St. Gaetano Catanoso is the patron saint of parish priests.

This video was shot in March, on location in Reggio Calabria, and filmed and produced by Michael Frierson, UNC-Greensboro film professor.

Driving home from work yesterday, I caught this commentary on NPR by my friend, Father Jim Martin, a Jesuit priest in New York City, the best-selling author of “My Life with the Saints,” and an all-around great guy. The commentary, delivered in his bright and engaging style, celebrates his 20 years as a Jesuit, and most tellingly, addresses the issue of chastity. It’s less than three minutes long and well worth listening to.

The Wall Street Journal reports today: “The Roman Catholic Church has for centuries commissioned statues of saints and other pious heroes. It’s now wrestling with a more sensitive tribute — a monument to a man who may be its most illustrious heretic.

“Nearly 400 years after the Roman Inquisition condemned Galileo Galilei for insisting the Earth revolves around the sun, an anonymous donor to the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences has offered to foot the bill for a statue of the Italian astronomer.”

The whole story.

Tomorrow night, a new and unique Triangle entertainment event comes to Greensboro — The Monti, an evening of storytelling. I was lucky enough to be part last month’s event in Chapel Hill, and will take part again. There’s a wonderful lineup of storytellers, including Greensboro singer songwriter Molly McGinn (fresh off her success in Triad Stage’s “Bloody Blackbeard“), Greensboro fiction writer Quinn Dalton, as well as Jeff Polish, founder of The Monti.

Starts at 7:30 p.m. at The Underground, 1720 Battleground Ave. Tickets are $7. Details here. We’ll be done before Biden’s speech, promise!

UPDATE: News & Record praise for The Monti is here.

Associated Press: By selecting a Pennsylvania-born Catholic as his No. 2, Obama is betting the potential rewards — including swaying elusive lunch-pail Catholics in the Midwest — outweigh the risks.

The whole story is here.