Paul Ryan: my Catholic faith helped shape budget plan

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:24 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details: House Budget Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) says his Catholic faith helped shape the Republican budget plan by stressing local control and concern for the poor, according to an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network released Tuesday. “A person’s faith is central to how they conduct themselves, in public and in private, so to me, using my Catholic faith, we call it the social magisterium, which is: How do you apply the doctrine of your teaching into your everyday... Read more

“I feel a band of love, of dreams”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:24 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Watch what happens when a silent, elderly man in a nursing home dons a set of headphones and hears music from his youth. Alleluia! Read more

BREAKING: Santorum quits race

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:24 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

I suspect this will be all over the place. But you can find quick summaries here and here. And The Anchoress is on top of things, as well. Stay tuned. Comments closed. People reading the comments can see why. Read more

Meeting them where they are: a profile of an “intentional parish” in Brooklyn

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:24 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

I missed this on Good Friday — I was otherwise engaged — but it’s worth a read. It looks at a growing phenomenon in the Church: people seeking out parishes outside of their geographic boundaries. From the New York Times: St. Boniface attracts an average of 700 people a weekend, remarkable when only about a third of Roman Catholics registered with the Diocese of Brooklyn and the Archdiocese of New York attend services on an ordinary Sunday, according to a... Read more

“Hate speech”: controversy over play about Pius XII and the Holocaust

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:24 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

The play in question is often blamed for popularizing the notion that Pius XII was sympathetic to the Nazis. Now it’s receiving a rare staging at a college in Minnesota: A controversial play scheduled at UMD next week critical of Pope Pius XII for not doing enough to stop the Holocaust has raised the ire of some local Catholics who are calling the event “hate speech.” The 1963 play “The Deputy” is part of the 19th annual Baeumler Kaplan... Read more

Catholic University students build a hermitage in downtown Washington

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:24 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

If any place could use a little peace and quiet, it’s the nation’s capital. Details: Architecture students at The Catholic University of America are seeing their design efforts come to life through a project to build a modern-day hermitage in the middle of Washington, D.C. William Jelen, director of the collaborative project, called the experience “one of the best teaching tools there is,” explaining that he had no idea what a modern-day hermitage would be like. He said that the... Read more

“Whatever slender thread is holding our planet together just might stem from these monastic women…”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:24 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

An alert reader sent this my way: a reflection by broadcast journalist Judith Valente about lessons she’s learned from visiting a Benedictine monastery. From USA TODAY: To arrive at Mount St. Scholastica Monastery in Atchison, Kan., you must cross Contrary Creek and bypass Last Chance Road. Eventually, you will see a red brick structure on a hilltop, its L-shaped wings like outstretched arms embracing the city below. In the summer of 2008, I began making regular visits to this Benedictine... Read more

“A reporter’s job is such a joy!”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:24 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

That’s Mike Wallace, getting the last word (as he should) in this superbly produced piece from yesterday’s “Face the Nation.” Kudos to editor Warren Lustig and Morley Safer for capturing the man so perfectly. Read more

Everybody needs a hobby: check out the world’s largest Rube Goldberg machine

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:24 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Behold, the world record has been broken for the most complicated Rube Goldberg contraption. It uses 300 steps to inflate and pop a balloon. “What a piece of work is man,” wrote Shakespeare (though I think he had something else in mind.) Just watch. And wonder. Read more

Happy birthday, Joe

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:24 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Catholic neighbors send warm wishes to a beloved Jewish institution in the Bronx: This Bronx parking-lot valet started driving when Model Ts were kings of the road. Joe Binder turned 102 yesterday, celebrating 25 years as the booth attendant at Mario’s Restaurant on Arthur Avenue — a job he landed when gas cost 89 cents a gallon. “I still drive locally, and I just renewed my license, so I’m good until I turn 110 years old,” said Binder. “My secret?... Read more