… this is National Procrastination Week.

“Giving up”still popular: While we often hear that Lent should be a time for doing something and not necessarily a time for giving something up, as so many of us learned so many years ago, “giving up” is still popular. And penitential.

Among those doing sacrificial giving up for Lent are Bishop Donald J. Hying, Fr. Patrick Heppe and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. The bishop has given up coffee; the vicar for clergy has given up M&Ms and cookies; and the mayor is forgoing french fries.

Add to your prayer list: If you haven’t already done so, please keep the victims of the recent tornadoes in your prayers.

Profession of faith: I have no idea what kind of president Rick Santorum would be; I have no idea what kind of president any of those seeking the nomination would be. But I admire the former senator’s willingness to talk about good and evil, and to talk openly about his faith in God. If it’s true that voters are uncomfortable hearing about those kind of things, then our country is in a bigger mess than we realize.

Catholic quote of the week: Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan at a March 3 convocation in Hicksville, N.Y.: “We can be political without being partisan. We ought to bring values and convictions to politics. We will not be misled by people who say we shouldn’t be involved.”

It all comes out in the wash: The U.S. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs has put the Vatican on its list of 68 nations that are “vulnerable to money launderers,” according to a Catholic News Service story. No surprise that the U.S. itself is on that list.

Lose time, not faith: Not only do we lose an hour of sleep this Sunday, but by nightfall we’ll have to deal with the biggest crisis of faith some people have this time of year: filling out their NCAA tournament brackets. I pull for the Catholic schools because they need the money. I also pull for the schools from which I have T-shirts. Unfortunately, Cal State — Northridge and Butler probably won’t get bids.

Don’t forget the holy day: Monday, March 12 is Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki’s birthday.