Remembering a remarkable missionary to Appalachia: “He realized that fighting evil meant fighting poverty”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:06 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

A Catholic priest who founded the Christian Appalachian Project passed away yesterday. Since World War II, Monsignor Ralph Beiting served the people of eastern Kentucky through a series of social service programs. WEKU’s Charles Compton, who knew Beiting, posted this appreciation of a man who must have been an extraordinary priest: At first, the Reverend Ralph Beiting didn’t want to come to Appalachia. As a seminary student, well before joining the priesthood, Beiting argued the point with his bishop. The northern... Read more

“We can create here the most significant Catholic cultural center in the world outside the Vatican”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:06 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

That’s one bishop’s assessment of Orange County’s Crystal Cathedral — a.k.a. Christ Cathedral — after taking a tour yesterday. Details: A group of Catholic leaders from around the world toured Wednesday the future largest Catholic cathedral in the United States: Christ Cathedral. They saw possibilities everywhere. There’s the vast infrastructure set up to televise the world-wide “Hour of Power” television program from the Crystal Cathedral Ministries, which sold its campus in January to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange in a court-ordered bankruptcy case.... Read more

“Same Call, Different Men”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:06 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

This sounds like something to put on my “must-read” list. From U.S. Catholic: Same Call, Different Men: The Evolution of the Priesthood Since Vatican II presents a comprehensive portrait of the Catholic priesthood in the United States today based on sociological data on 960 priests and interviews with 60 others, both collected in 2009. First the good news: More than 95 percent of priests report that they are very or somewhat happy as priests and that they would definitely or probably... Read more

On Al Smith Dinner: “It is not a religious event in any way…it is a civic event”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:06 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

The blog for the Archdiocese of New York has published a response to the controversy surrounding Cardinal Dolan’s invitation to President Obama for the Al Smith Dinner. From blogger Ed Mechman: The Al Smith Dinner is organized and hosted by the Alfred E. Smith Foundation, which is closely affiliated with but independent of the Archdiocese of New York. It’s named after Governor Al Smith, an iconic figure in New York politics, who dedicated his life to serving the people of... Read more

Worth a thousand words

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:06 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

The above image comes from the Facebook page of Palestinian runner Woroud Sawalha. At the Olympics, she competed during the fifth preliminary heat of the women’s 800 meters. She failed to qualify, finishing last. Read more

Losing faith: Ireland abandoning religion faster than almost any other country

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:06 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Troubling news: The Republic of Ireland is abandoning religion faster than almost every other country worldwide, a massive global survey on faith reveals. Only Vietnam has seen a bigger drop in people declaring themselves to be religious over the past seven years, a period when the Catholic Church in Ireland has been rocked by sex-abuse scandals and a crisis of leadership. Red C interviewed more than 51,000 people worldwide, including just over 1,000 people in the Republic. An overwhelming 69%... Read more

At LCWR, some express concern that “we won’t be listened to”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:06 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Hot on the heels of this study on women and religious vocations comes word that some sisters of the LCWR are chafing at the idea of any Vatican oversight. Details, from the Washington Post: Executives of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious reportedly believe most members — who make up 80 percent of U.S. nuns — do not want to submit to a proposed Vatican takeover of their group. Regional meetings around the country this summer seem to show most women... Read more

Gabby Giffords, husband meet the pope at Castel Gandolfo

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:06 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details, from CNS: Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly, a U.S. astronaut, met briefly with Pope Benedict XVI at the end of the pope’s weekly general audience Aug. 8. Giffords, who was shot and seriously wounded during a political appearance in Arizona in 2011, traveled to Rome with her husband after a visit to the European Center for Nuclear Research in Switzerland. At the end of the audience in the courtyard of the papal villa at... Read more

Scholar overhauls Hebrew bible for first time in 500 years

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:06 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

This is pretty remarkable news: For the past 30 years, Israeli Judaic scholar Menachem Cohen has been on a mission of biblical proportions: Correcting all known textual errors in Jewish scripture to produce a truly definitive edition of the Old Testament. His edits, focusing primarily on grammatical blemishes and an intricate set of biblical symbols, mark the first major overhaul of the Hebrew Bible in nearly 500 years. Poring over thousands of medieval manuscripts, the 84-year-old Cohen identified 1,500 inaccuracies... Read more

Ohio gets another basilica

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:06 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

This happened in June, but it hit the local paper yesterday. Details: Historic St. John the Baptist Catholic Church at 627 McKinley Ave. NW has been elevated to a “minor basilica” by the Vatican. It’s now called the Basilica of St. John the Baptist. According to the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, a decree granting the title was sent by the Vatican to Bishop George V. Murry on June 19. St. John is the only minor basilicas in the diocese and... Read more