Chaplains adjust to repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

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

Details: Col. Timothy Wagoner [shown above] has been an Air Force chaplain for 20 years, serving a denomination — the Southern Baptists — that rejects same-sex relationships. Yet here he was at the chapel he oversees, watching supportively as an airman and his male partner celebrated a civil union ceremony. “I wouldn’t miss it,” Wagoner said at the McGuire Air Force Base chapel, days later. “I don’t feel I’m compromising my beliefs … I’m supporting the community.” Wagoner didn’t officiate... Read more

Mother of the Year nominee: cancer survivor who refused abortion while pregnant

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

Wal Mart in Canada is running a Mother of the Year contest — and this nominee, submitted by one of her children, deserves a little closer attention, I think: At 8 years old, my mom was diagnosed with a stage 4 Wilm’s tumor. She had surgery, 15 months of chemo, 6 weeks of radiation and was told she couldn’t have children. May 2011, after 25 years of perfect health, she was diagnosed with breast cancer while pregnant with her 7th... Read more

“Fake it until you make it”: a great lesson in optimism

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

If anybody needs a primer in the power of positive thinking, look no further than Jane Brody’s recent column in the New York Times, which told the story of a World War II vet named William Richmond: My recent column on optimism drew hundreds of comments from readers who testified to the value of living life as a glass half full. But one in particular — from a 90-year-old man living in Calabasas, Calif. — was especially telling. The reader,... Read more

Chinese priest reported missing ahead of illicit ordination

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

Details: Father Giuseppe Zhao Hongchun, apostolic administrator of Harbin, has been “missing” since the afternoon of July 4, where he went to attend an appointment arranged by religious affairs officials. Local sources told AsiaNews that they believed he has been under house arrest, but his whereabouts is not known to them. This event is related to the upcoming illicit ordination of Father Yue Fusheng in the open Church on July 6, they said. Father Zhao, who is not affiliated with... Read more

“The only deacon referred to by name in the New Testament is Phoebe…”

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

Since the news of a new head of the CDF has prompted renewed discussion about women deacons, Deacon Bill Ditewig takes a closer look at some of the latest scholarship on the subject: The new Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), now-Archbishop (soon-to-be Cardinal) Gerhard Ludwig Mueller has written on the diaconate and priesthood, as well as participating as a theologian on the International Theological Commission (ITC), which developed a paper on the diaconate. Ten... Read more

Muslims vow to protect Christian churches in Kenya

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

Details: Muslim leaders in Kenya have agreed to form self-defence groups to protect churches following a deadly attack on Sunday. Fifteen people were killed in the raids on churches in Garissa, a town near the border with Somalia. Kenya’s border region has been tense since it sent troops into Somalia to pursue al-Shabab Islamist militants. Adan Wachu, head of the Supreme Council of Kenyan Muslims, told the BBC the attacks were acts of terrorism. “There are people out there who... Read more

Quote of the day

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

“We live in a time that calls for sentinels and public witness. Every Christian in every era faces the same task. But you and I are responsible for this moment. Today. Now. We need to “speak out,” not only for religious liberty and the ideals of the nation we love, but for the sacredness of life and the dignity of the human person – in other words, for the truth of what it means to be made in the image and... Read more

My favorite rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner”

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

From 2007. Place: Fenway Park, Boston. Singer: Peter Rometti. He has autism and was selected to sing the national anthem as part of Disability Awareness Night. The crowd was clearly rooting for him as much as it was the Red Sox. Watch. Is this a great country, or what? Read more

In tribute to that great Jewish novelty tune, “God Bless America”

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

Who knew? At least one critic has noted that parts of the song are lifted from a Jewish vaudeville song written over 100 years ago. (If you’re curious, give a listen to a sampling, and you can indeed hear the title strains of “God Bless America” very clearly.) Below, Kate Smith’s iconic rendition from “This is the Army.” And the song’s history, from the good people at Wikipedia: Berlin wrote the song in 1918 while serving the U.S. Army at... Read more

What a friend we have in cheeses: meet the cheese-making nuns of Virginia

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

All Gouda gifts around us are sent from heaven above! Details, from the Washington Post: It is 10:05 a.m., and Sister Barbara Smickel is shoulder-deep in curds and whey. She is in the cheese barn at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Crozet, Va., located about 14 miles west of Charlottesville and down a winding gravel lane. The monastery is a plain yet well-kept brick building perched atop a grassy hillside. The red-and-white cheese barn sits just down the... Read more