You may remember the story of his early ordination a few days ago. Today, I received an email from Deacon Brian Hill in the Diocese of Austin: I did not expect to be writing you another email so soon. Sadly, we received word from the Diocese of Austin that Deacon Daniel Guerra passed away today on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The arrangements for Deacon Daniel Guerra are as follows: Friday, August 17 – 7:00... Read more
Earlier today, several critics — notably, Elizabeth Scalia — pounced on a multimedia effort by the Archdiocese of Washington called “The Wuerl Record.” It laid out Cardinal Donald Wuerl’s efforts to combat clerical sex abuse when he was the bishop of Pittsburgh. It was not well-received: This is the sort of action we usually see being taken by a Chairman of the Board, or a CEO, or a politician, and that’s very telling; it exposes a mindset that is geared... Read more
Several years ago on this blog, I posted the sad news that a young priest had inexplicably taken his own life: Last Thursday, our classmate, friend and brother priest, Fr. Kevin Kayda, died unexpectedly, just over a month shy of his 28th birthday. I was having dinner when the email from the Rector of the seminary popped up on the phone, and I stared at the screen in disbelief. There followed a flurry of phone calls and text messages with my... Read more
I woke up this morning to a torrent of comment on social media from Catholic laity, priests, deacons, everybody. People were up all night reading the grand jury report—some in shock, some in tears, some in anger, many in prayer. A random, unscientific sampling helps give a snapshot of where we are on this sorrowful Feast of the Assumption: From a priest: I can’t sleep as I am reading the PA grand jury report. I am filled with anger, disgust... Read more
The big story today, via The New York Times: Bishops and other leaders of the Roman Catholic Church in Pennsylvania covered up child sexual abuse by hundreds of priests over a period of 70 years, persuading victims not to report the abuse and police officers not to investigate it, according to a report issued by a grand jury on Tuesday. The report, which says there were more than 1,000 identifiable victims and covered six of the state’s eight Catholic dioceses, is the... Read more
The question popped up on Fr. Z’s blog a little while ago, and there was some discussion about it. The question, it seems, arises every few years. I posted on it back in 2014, and quoted one liturgical expert who noted: The liturgical blessing of the Mass is given to everyone gathered in the church just a few moments after the distribution of Holy Communion. This occurs when the priest, making the sign of the cross, says, “May Almighty God... Read more
If you weren’t able to make it to New Orleans last month, this is your chance to catch up on what you missed. They’ve just posted the videos from all the General Sessions and liturgies for the 2018 National Diaconate Congress. The videos are available right here: at the congress website. They’re grouped by day and date, so you can easily choose from the dropdown menu and then play a video. Each talk is 45 minutes to an hour long;... Read more
Or maybe this year. Every engaged couple needs to see this. You want to know what married life is all about? You want to know how to survive the hard times? Marriage isn’t about the lavish party, the expensive gifts, the perfect place settings, the elegant gown or the deliriously indulgent honeymoon to follow. It’s this. This. It’s walking through the storm, smiling, to hold the hand of the one you love. Details: Even heavy flooding could not keep Jefferson... Read more
It wasn’t a prominent player in 2002— but it is now. From CNS: Magazines and newspapers have long been sources to break big news stories. Now, too, social media is taking its turn. In a series of tweets, a onetime seminarian who goes by the handle “inflammateomnia” – Latin for “Go set the world on fire,” a quote ascribed to St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuits – detailed on Twitter sexually abusive behavior he said was directed at him... Read more
And now for a little palate-cleanser. You hear Pachelbel’s Canon endlessly at weddings — full confession: this was played at our wedding 32 years ago — but you’ve probably never heard it like this. It’s the brainchild of TwoSet Violin: TwoSet Violin—founded in 2014 by the two Australian musicians Brett Yang and Eddy Chen—first went viral with their funny and sometimes painfully accurate videos depicting life as a classical musician. With over 700,000 followers on social media and over 200... Read more
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