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OK, we admit it…..we’re not big fans of the U.N.  However, they do occasionally produce something that we can agree with.

On September 4, 2026, the United Nations voted to adopt a new world map. The Equal Earth projection shows continents’ and countries’ true relative sizes. It’s a far cry from the old map, the Mercator projection , which was created in the 16th century for maritime navigation. In contrast, the Mercator projection, developed in 1569 for navigation, preserves angles and shapes locally but dramatically enlarges regions near the poles

The old map is still used by many map programs; however, it distorts the size of land masses as you move away from the equator.

The Equal Earth projection is an equal-area map, meaning it maintains the proportional size of geographic regions.

The old map made Greenland look roughly the same size as Africa, when in reality Africa is 14 times larger. It made the State of Alaska look almost as large as Brazil, even though Brazil is almost five times the size of Alaska.

When planning your travels, maps are useful even if you are not doing the navigating….it’s still nice to see things in perspective.

You can see the new map here.

The Diocese of Wichita, Kansas has one of the highest rates of priestly vocations in the country, routinely attracting more men to the seminary than dioceses or archdioceses several times its size. While dioceses elsewhere see their priestly ranks shrink, Wichita is routinely ordaining nearly twice as many men as it needs.

Here in Wichita, Kansas the Church is growing…not just in numbers, but in its physical presence.  Recent construction in Kansas spans both massive new diocesan builds and restorations of existing parishes. Recently built or extensively reconstructed diocesan Catholic parishes across Kansas include:

Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dodge City): Though constructed in the new millennium (consecrated in 2001), it remains one of the most significant newly built diocesan cathedrals in Kansas, seating over 1,400 people.

Saint John the Evangelist Catholic Church (Clonmel): Located in the Diocese of Wichita, this parish celebrated the official dedication of its beautiful new church in June 2024, culminating years of planning and construction.

Saint Paul II Catholic Church (Olathe): Located in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, this 164-year-old parish broke ground in May 2024 for a massive million-dollar traditional church to seat 1,300, scheduled for completion in June 2026.

Most of us are familiar with stained glass windows in Catholic churches. They tell a story…from the Bible or from history…in pictures, rather than words.  The practice was essential in explaining the faith in the Medieval times, when few people could read or write.

Here is an article that will describe the history of stained glass.

This doesn’t have an immediate Catholic connection (although Cincinnati does have some great Catholic places of interest), but we found this to be very fascinating from a historical perspective.

Few of us, I suppose, have given much thought to, or really cared about, how the city got its name. The city of Cincinnati is just another city in the U.S. so far as we were concerned….with a rich German heritage, renowned for its unique cinnamon-spiced chili, professional sports (Reds and Bengals), and historic 19th-century architecture in the Over-the-Rhine distric.  So, perhaps the name came from native Americans?  Sounded possible to us. But the name traces its origin far back, actually pre-dating the establishment of Christianity.

The first settlement here was called Losantiville, a portmanteau (blending of two or more names) invented by founder John Filson. It combined elements from different languages: “L” for the Licking River, “os” (Latin for mouth), “anti” (Greek for opposite), and “ville” (town), roughly meaning “the town opposite the mouth of the Licking [River].”

In 1790, General Arthur St. Clair, the governor of the Northwest Territory and a member of the Society of the Cincinnati, changed the name. He disliked Losantiville and renamed the town Cincinnati in honor of the Society of the Cincinnati (a fraternal organization of Revolutionary War officers, of which he was a member) and its namesake.

The Society of the Cincinnati took its name from Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus (c. 519 BC – c. 430 BC), a legendary Roman hero. Cincinnatus was a farmer who was appointed dictator during a military crisis. He quickly defeated the enemy, resigned his absolute power after just 15 days, and returned to his plow——thereby embodying civic virtue, humility, and reluctance to hold power.

This ideal resonated with American Revolutionary officers, who saw parallels with George Washington, often called the “American Cincinnatus”. Washington declined offers to make him a king after the U.S. won its independence…..he, too, returned to his former life. At that time in history, of course, Kingship was the norm…the idea of a democratically elected ruler was all but unheard-of.

The society of the Cincinnati was founded in 1783 to preserve fellowship among veterans and promote these republican values.

The name change took effect on January 4, 1790. Cincinnati thus indirectly honors an ancient Roman while directly honoring the Revolutionary War veterans’ society.

You can find the website of The Society of Cininnati here (external link, will open in a new window).

And, of course, here are some Catholic places of interest in Cincinnati  on our site.

Parmesan cheese, known as Parmigiano-Reggiano in its authentic form, originated in the Middle Ages (around the 12th–13th century) in the northern Italian region now comprising parts of Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy, specifically around the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna (west of the Reno River), and Mantua (south of the Po River).

A 1254 notarial document from Genoa mentions “caseus parmensis” (cheese from Parma), and similar references appear in Parma and other cities.

It was originally produced by Benedictine and Cistercian monks in the area between Parma and Reggio Emilia, the heart of Italy’s “Food Valley” and the historic Emilia region, located along the ancient Via Aemilia. This fertile Po River plain area features rolling hills, castles, and historic villages like Colorno and Fontanellato who developed the technique of making large, hard, long-aging wheels, which help preserve milk in a region with hot summers and limited refrigeration to ensure even aging as well as for for efficient, historic transportation (rolling). The circular shape prevents mold from accumulating in sharp corners, allows for a consistent rind to form, and helps maintain a balanced moisture level throughout the cheese during maturation.

The cheese’s characteristic large wheels (about 84–100 lbs/ 38-45 kg each), granular texture, and ability to age for years were innovations that made it famous and valuable for trade across Europe as early as the 14th century (e.g., mentioned by Boccaccio in the Decameron, c. 1350).

Since 1996, Parmigiano-Reggiano is a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product in the EU.

Only cheese made in the defined geographic zone, following strict traditional methods (raw cow’s milk, natural whey starter, no additives, minimum 12 months aging) can legally be called Parmigiano-Reggiano.

The term “Parmesan” is the anglicized/generic name and is used globally (especially in the U.S.) for similar hard grating cheeses, often with different production rules.

Here is one website that we think you will find interesting.

The website devoted to Parmesan (parmigianoreggiano.com) is in Italian….the English version is not active….it refers to itself as “still aging”…..quite a play on words!

The miracle of the liquefaction of the blood of St. Januarius, patron saint of Naples, Italy, occurred again on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025.

According to the Archdiocese of Naples, the miracle took place after Mass in the Royal Chapel of the Treasure of Saint Januarius on the feast of the patronage of Saint Januarius.

“At 9:13 a.m. local time, the blood already appeared semi-liquid. At 10:05 a.m., the complete liquefaction was announced,” the archdiocese reported.

December 16 is the third of three annual celebrations in honor of the martyred saint. This date commemorates the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1631, when the Neapolitans requested and obtained the miraculous intervention of Saint Januarius to prevent the lava from engulfing the city.

You can read more about the Blood of Saint Januarius in the Cathedral in Naples here.