Onward towards 2013, with another Top Ten! In no particular order, these were my favorite Catholic blogs of 2012… Some of them are written by well-known authors or speakers, others are new-found online friends, all of them are excellent!Bookmark them/follow them/like them on facebook/etc. ex post haste!
10) As Christ Intended– Aaron is a fellow convert with a similar background. He writes very well-thought out essays defending Catholic dogmas. As of late, he’s written a lot of great stuff about the Blessed Virgin.
9) Called to Communion– A group blog by former Calvinists who have all crossed the Tiber. These guys swim in the deep end of the pool: a lot of them are professors or Ph.D. candidates; others are former ordained Presbyterian or Reformed ministers.
8) Catholic Cravings– Laura is from Down Under, and she’s a fellow recent convert. She’s got a great sense of humor, and her posts always contain clear explanations and great insight.
7) Life With a German Shepherd– Fr. Denis provides great commentary on the writings of Pope Benedict. He wrote a graduate thesis on the Mariology of the then-Cardinal Ratzinger, so he knows what he’s talking about…
6) 8 Kids and a Business– As the blog’s name implies, Terry has a lot on her plate… but she somehow manages to maintain a great blog. She’s provided a lot of encouragement to me personally over the last few months, and I recently found out that she also loves St. Alphonsus’ “Visits to the Blessed Sacrament.”
5) Catholic and Enjoying It!– Mark Shea is a well-known author and columnist for the National Catholic Register. His writing is always spiced with a good amount of humor and Irish temper.
4) Standing on My Head– Fr. Dwight Longenecker is a former Anglican priest, now ordained in the Catholic Church, who writes with a lot of insight and humor. Fr. Longenecker asked me to write a guest post recently for his blog, which was an honor!
3) Public Catholic– Rebecca Hamilton is a 17-year-veteran of the Oklahoma State legislature, and naturally she writes a lot about the intersection of faith and politics…but that’s far from all! An absolute must-read blog.
2) Catholic Fire– A go-to resource for information about Saints, Feast Days, and more.
1) Whispers in the Loggia– Simply the best place to turn for news and commentary on what’s happening in the Church around the world. Particularly good place to turn for Vatican goings-on…
Oh wow, thanks for the mention, Ryan. My intention in reading your post was to take a look at your recommendations, but what a pleasant surprise. I already read some of the other blogs (8,7,3,1) and read Mark Shea at NCR; I’ll be checking out the others on your list.