Begone! Begone! Begone!...It's So Much Fun to Say

"Unitarians Begone!" declares a front-page headline in this month's "San Francisco Faith: The Bay Area's Lay Catholic Newsletter." The article itself is about the unpleasant architecture of a proposed Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland -- we're not sure how Unitarians are to blame, or how it's possible to use the word "begone" without irony in this day and age. Oh well.

Other highlights: in Sacramento, the church is selling a posh retirement community to pay off sex-abuse victims, and the retirees are miffed. Lots of propaganda for Prop 73, which would require parental notification when a minor gets an abortion. That would prevent teen pregnancy because, um, er, well, nobody's really sure. And as always, there are ads for a local ex-gay group, and a Catholic telecom company whose FAQ page is, for some reason, despairingly titled, "why us?" There, there. Elsewhere, the company pledges to provide "telecommunications services without the smut." Spoilsports.

The new owner of Saint Brigid's church, at the corner of Van Ness and Broadway, is The Academy of Art University. The very pretty church, closed since 1994, will be spared demolition, and church leaders are hoping the Academy will preserve the church's "religious character." Now, we've met more than our fair share of Academy students, and let us just say, oh honey.

"I have been embarassed to have been receiving this kind of publication," goes an irate letter to the editor in this month's issue. Not us! We have no idea how we got on their mailing list, but we eagerly await future editions. Until then, have faith, and be a good lay. Now, begone!