http://www.ncregister.com/ Tom Hoopes is Vice President of College Relations and writer in residence at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. He has written for the Register for more than 20 years and was its executive editor for 10. His writing has appeared in First Things’ First Thoughts, National Review Online, Crisis, Our Sunday Visitor, Inside Catholic and Columbia. He has served as press secretary for the Chairman of the U.S. House Ways & Means Committee. He and his wife, April, were editorial co-directors of Faith & Family magazine for 5 years. They have nine children. en NCRegister Copyright 2013 2013-05-20T16:02:33+00:00 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~3/BxoUbr9fPdc/ http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/why-catholics-are-grateful-to-george-w.-bush/#When:2013-04-26 By Tom Hoopes | After yesterday&rsquo;s opening of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, many in the media are taking a look back at the presidency of George W. Bush after a little time to put it in perspective, and the results do a...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~4/BxoUbr9fPdc" height="1" width="1"/> 2013-04-26 http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/why-catholics-are-grateful-to-george-w.-bush/#When:2013-04-26 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~3/mIpqibmMsMg/ http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/the-power-of-catholic-fridays/#When:2013-03-15 By TOM HOOPES | Friday starts to work on you when you are a child. You wake up, and it&rsquo;s Friday. You don&rsquo;t understand why adults say, "TGIF." For a child, a Friday is painful, because it is almost, but not yet, Saturday. Your lunch bag has a...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~4/mIpqibmMsMg" height="1" width="1"/> 2013-03-15 http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/the-power-of-catholic-fridays/#When:2013-03-15 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~3/HpmcRDb5cIE/ http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/the-two-threats-to-christmas/#When:2012-12-11 By TOM HOOPES | There are two major threats to Christmas each year: the marketplace and the state. The marketplace is a threat because it takes everything beautiful, banalizes it, mass produces it and puts a price tag on it. It changes the...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~4/HpmcRDb5cIE" height="1" width="1"/> 2012-12-11 http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/the-two-threats-to-christmas/#When:2012-12-11 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~3/Jqr0L3nNYhM/ http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/time-for-true-democrats-to-start-their-own-party/#When:2012-09-8 By TOM HOOPES | It&rsquo;s time for Catholics to lead true Democrats to start their own party. Catholic Democrats are in a terrible quandary. They vehemently disagree with the Republicans&rsquo; approach to policy, so they won&rsquo;t vote for them. And since...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~4/Jqr0L3nNYhM" height="1" width="1"/> 2012-09-8 http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/time-for-true-democrats-to-start-their-own-party/#When:2012-09-8 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~3/NsuI_-fNPxM/ http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/to-april-20-years-later/#When:2012-08-15 By TOM HOOPES | April, 20 years ago on my last night as a single man, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling unable to sleep in the middle of the night. I was afraid you were making a huge mistake by marrying me &mdash; one for which I was largely to...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~4/NsuI_-fNPxM" height="1" width="1"/> 2012-08-15 http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/to-april-20-years-later/#When:2012-08-15 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~3/_C38KgPvgbk/ http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/farewell_dear_reader/#When:2010-04-1 By Tom Hoopes | Today, as Lent gives way to the Triduum, I set aside my mouse with a sigh and bid these fond blog pages adieu. I’m going to miss this place. But today I start a new job here at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas (vice...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~4/_C38KgPvgbk" height="1" width="1"/> 2010-04-1 http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/farewell_dear_reader/#When:2010-04-1 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~3/ZpmvSwCOmhk/ http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/courage_and_conviction_the_obama_difference/#When:2010-03-26 By Tom Hoopes | The health care bill that passed Congress was terrible. It funded abortion. The executive order that accompanied it was a temporary fig leaf at best. The bill created a bureaucratic mess. It was shoved down the throat of an...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~4/ZpmvSwCOmhk" height="1" width="1"/> 2010-03-26 http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/courage_and_conviction_the_obama_difference/#When:2010-03-26 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~3/owF0QbssCFI/ http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/top_10_differences_boys_and_girls_1st_communions/#When:2010-03-23 By Tom Hoopes | For all those parents who have children preparing for First Communion in the coming months, we know boys and girls experience the same thing: They receive the sacrament of reconciliation and then the body, blood soul and divinity...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~4/owF0QbssCFI" height="1" width="1"/> 2010-03-23 http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/top_10_differences_boys_and_girls_1st_communions/#When:2010-03-23 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~3/gjnd8yFsbXM/ http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/bart_stupaks_defining_moment/#When:2010-03-22 By Tom Hoopes | Bart Stupak faced the defining moment of his career last weekend and, fair or not, he defined himself by it. He had the chance to be a profile in political courage. But he is now the pro-lifer who caved for the paltriest of...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~4/gjnd8yFsbXM" height="1" width="1"/> 2010-03-22 http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/bart_stupaks_defining_moment/#When:2010-03-22 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~3/_OX15n0-4MQ/ http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/catechism_vs._health_care_reform/#When:2010-03-18 By Tom Hoopes | If you’re a Catholic and you believe the Catechism implicitly then you believe that health care is a right and you&#8217;re inclined to support a bill that expands access to health care. You are inclined to hate the skyrocketing costs...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~4/_OX15n0-4MQ" height="1" width="1"/> 2010-03-18 http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/catechism_vs._health_care_reform/#When:2010-03-18 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~3/8MJhb4i18Lc/ http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/top_10_things_i_do_when_giving_up_facebook_in_lent/#When:2010-03-14 By Tom Hoopes | In honor of Sunday, here are my own coping strategies for giving up Facebook in Lent. 10. Call friends at random and say: “Tom is just hanging out after an exhausting day. Whew! Good to be home! ;-)” 9. (Add, to the friend:...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~4/8MJhb4i18Lc" height="1" width="1"/> 2010-03-14 http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/top_10_things_i_do_when_giving_up_facebook_in_lent/#When:2010-03-14 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~3/53RSRhiDZeM/ http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/my_extraordinary_friends/#When:2010-03-12 By Tom Hoopes | I’m going to do my best to defend the Extraordinary Form after the onslaught by John Zmirak, but he’s made it hard. I think introducing the world to two of my Extraordinary Form friends will help. Yes, that’s right, for...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~4/53RSRhiDZeM" height="1" width="1"/> 2010-03-12 http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/my_extraordinary_friends/#When:2010-03-12 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~3/QBixUiOV0jA/ http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/top_10_reasons_to_have_eight_children/#When:2010-03-11 By Tom Hoopes | There are important matters to discuss, but I have no time at the moment! So I discuss this important matter instead ... here are my Top 10 Reasons to for my family of 10 (10 including Mom and Dad). 10. Even when four kids are...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~4/QBixUiOV0jA" height="1" width="1"/> 2010-03-11 http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/top_10_reasons_to_have_eight_children/#When:2010-03-11 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~3/NpfHUuZthhQ/ http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/answering_zmirak_on_the_mass/#When:2010-03-5 By Tom Hoopes | My friend and former colleague, John Zmirak — the guy who friends of mine call their favorite writer, even now that I’m eligible for the honor — has written an an explosive article (at the excellent Inside Catholic) about the...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~4/NpfHUuZthhQ" height="1" width="1"/> 2010-03-5 http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/answering_zmirak_on_the_mass/#When:2010-03-5 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~3/o0k2vFgSPwo/ http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/religion_at_huffington_high/#When:2010-03-3 By Tom Hoopes | You can learn quite a bit about those who consider themselves leaders in the liberal movement by reading The Huffington Post. Now, as of a few weeks ago, you can learn what they think about religion, too. I look at the Huffington...<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/NCRegister/TomHoopes/~4/o0k2vFgSPwo" height="1" width="1"/> 2010-03-3 http://www.ncregister.com/blog/tom-hoopes/religion_at_huffington_high/#When:2010-03-3