Pope in Thailand: Mission is seeking family members we don’t know yet

November 21, 2019 By Deacon Greg Kandra

Via CNS: Missionaries are not mercenaries, but beggars who recognize that some brothers and sisters are missing from the community and long to hear the good news of salvation, Pope Francis told the Catholics of Thailand. Celebrating Mass Nov. 21, the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in Bangkok’s National Stadium, Pope Francis looked at the meaning of what he calls “missionary discipleship.” Pope Francis’ visit was part of the celebrations of the 350th anniversary of the... Read more

Read a rare, handwritten letter from Fulton Sheen

November 20, 2019 By Deacon Greg Kandra

This is something remarkable: A Brooklyn priest has come into possession of a rare letter, handwritten and signed by (soon to be Blessed) Archbishop Fulton Sheen during a visit to Lourdes in 1937. He writes: My Dear Friends, It was a joy to receive your cable on sailing, and I waited until now to acknowledge it, to assure you and Mrs. Gibbons that I have said a prayer for you and yours at the Shrine of Our Lady. God Love... Read more

A pro-life Catholic Democrat?! Meet John Bel Edwards

November 20, 2019 By Deacon Greg Kandra

“Everything that I experienced growing up as a Catholic just pushed me towards service.” John Bel Edwards was just re-elected the governor of Louisiana. Last year, America magazine taped a lengthy interview with him. This is worth your time. Other Democrats: take note. From the interview: He is a man of deep conviction, his friends and family say. “He lives his values every day,” said his wife, Donna. In many ways, he is just an old-fashioned politician who still puts... Read more

Conscience matters: most states protect doctors who refuse to do abortions because of religion

November 20, 2019 By Deacon Greg Kandra

From Reuters: The vast majority of U.S. states have passed laws blocking civil lawsuits that might result from a doctor refusing to perform an abortion or certain other medical procedures because of religious beliefs, a new study shows. The national survey found that 46 states had laws protecting medical professionals and institutions from being sued for harm to patients related to a refusal to provide services out of conscience, researchers report in JAMA. “The biggest takeaway from this research is... Read more

Outside Washington’s cathedral: Blessing ‘When I Was Naked’

November 19, 2019 By Deacon Greg Kandra

The statue by the great Timothy Schmalz was blessed to mark the World Day of the Poor. From the cathedral’s website: On Sunday, November 17, 2019, the 3rd World Day of the Poor, Msgr. Jameson led a crowd of 11:30am Mass-goers to the sidewalk along Rhode Island Avenue for the blessing of a special new statue. The bronze sculpture, “When I Was Naked” was recently installed at the foot of the Cathedral steps. As Msgr. noted before the blessing, the statue will stand as... Read more

The significance of December 21 for Fulton Sheen’s beatification

November 19, 2019 By Deacon Greg Kandra

Those of us in the world of communications are rejoicing over the news that the most famous and influential Catholic communicator of the 20th century is about to be declared “Blessed.” Fulton Sheen will be beatified in Peoria on December 21. And the date, I think, is significant. First, it is the feast of St. Peter Canisius. As Wikipedia reminds us: He became known for his strong support for the Catholic faith during the Protestant Reformation in Germany, Austria, Bohemia, Moravia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The restoration of... Read more

Holy rollers: The Catholic church that became a roller rink

November 19, 2019 By Deacon Greg Kandra

You can skate underneath disco balls, LED lights, and stained-glass windows of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, while a live DJ plays disco from within a neon-lit altar. Details: The Sacred Heart Catholic church has seen a lot in its 121 years. Completed at the end of the 19th century, the large, Romanesque building had survived two earthquakes, was home to one of San Francisco’s only predominately African-American Catholic congregations, and has hosted Vietnam War protesters and the Black Panther... Read more

God bless you, Bill Lyon: Remembering the great journalist who wrote of his fight with Alzheimer’s

November 18, 2019 By Deacon Greg Kandra

“Al lies in ambush in my brain, and the only way I can put a face on him is to look in the mirror.” The heart breaks to read this: Bill Lyon, a literate, sensitive, and affable Midwesterner who endeared himself to this cynical Northeastern city during more than three decades as a must-read Inquirer sports columnist, died Sunday at the Marple Township facility where he’d resided since 2017. He was 81 and for the last several years had been... Read more

St. John Paul II: ‘Respect for life extends to the rest of creation’

November 18, 2019 By Deacon Greg Kandra

There’s been a fair amount of discussion over the last few days about Pope Francis adding “ecological sins” to the catechism. For background, it’s worth noting that St. John Paul II wrote what is believed to be the first papal document focusing exclusively on the environment. It comes in his 1990 message for the World Day of Peace: Certain elements of today’s ecological crisis reveal its moral character. First among these is the indiscriminate application of advances in science and technology. Many... Read more

WATCH: Vesting for Pontifical High Mass

November 18, 2019 By Deacon Greg Kandra

A few days back, I mentioned the debut of a new Pontifical Solemn High Mass, the Mass of the Americas, at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. It happened this past Saturday. You can watch below the full video of the Mass, celebrated by San Francisco’s Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone. Worth noting are the first 20 minutes or so, which includes the archbishop being vested for the Mass. Among other things, he dons a dalmatic. Also: I believe one... Read more