I was thinking about St.
Blog’s Parish this morning and I realized something. We need a patron saint.
Saint Isidore of Seville has been proposed as the patron saint of the internet,
but that’s for his learning and having written an encyclopedia. He wasn’t much like
a blogger. We need someone like a canonized version of G.K. Chesterton, a journalist,
author, and apologist.
Instead of St. Joseph the Worker Parish, we’d have Saint So-and-so the Blogger Parish.
Thoughts?
Did you intend for that to be as insulting as it is?
BTW, congratulations on your future grandfatherhood. 🙂
For patron saint of bloggers, perhaps of the entire internet, let me suggest St. Colmcille (sometimes spelled Columba, Colm Cille, Cholm Cille or Columbkille). Before you stop reading, consider this: In the 6th Century, while he was a guest of st. Finian, he secretly copied a document and tried to smuggle it (the copy) out of Finian’s house. He was brought up before the High King Diarmaid mac Cearrbheoil (modern spelling McCarville) who ruled that the copy belonged to the original document and thus was Finian’s.
This is the first recorded case of a copyright infringement ruling. Now Colmcille ignored the ruling setting off wars and mutual curses of dying painful threefold deaths and all kinds of interesting folklore. But I do think the guy should be the patron of St. Blog’s.
I can see how Newman or Kolbe might work, but why Augustine? Don’t get me wrong. He’s my patron, so I wouldn’t mind more good press for him. 😉
I guess I need to come back to this with more explanation. No, nothing was meant insultingly. If Colmcille had not ignored the copyright infringement ruling, and copying anything had remained illegal, where would the internet be? It would be impossible to even post a link on a page.
I know, I’m biased, but I think that once he’s canonized Venerable Newman would make a fine patron of blogging. I’ve got three reasons to back that up:
1. Prolific writer (his letters and diaries alone come to more than 30 volumes)
2. Most of his writing was in response to a particular situation (e.g. “Apologia” as a response to Kingsley’s attack) This corresponds well to a lot of blogging.
3. Some of his writing, particulary the Appendices of “Apologia”, can be looked upon as proto-fisking.
Philip Greenspun? http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/
Either him or that Fark guy… 😛
St. Maxilian Kolbe published a magazine with a pretty impressive circulation back in the day…I’d also offer for consideration St. Augustine. I kind of doubt anybody will be reading my blog 1300 years from now.
Why did you take it as insulting?
By the way, you have a great blog.