2011-09-03T10:10:59-04:00

Okay.  Besides being a deacon, St. Gregory the Great was also a pope and a saint.   In his spare time, he wrote the first biography of St. Benedict and, when he had nothing better to do, composed the chant that bears his name.  Overachiever?  Just a bit. Happy feast day, though, to all the Gregorys out there — those who are great and those (like me) who are barely adequate.  Below, is the prayer for this day from the... Read more

2015-03-13T17:19:19-04:00

[Click here for the readings] Not long ago, I read a short essay by a Protestant minister named Lillian Daniel.  She described an experience that a lot of us in the clergy have had at one time or another: being on an airplane, striking up a conversation with a stranger, and then hearing that person explain, for the rest of the flight, how they are “spiritual, but not religious.” In this theology, it’s all about finding God on the beach,... Read more

2016-09-30T17:37:18-04:00

The annual tennis match is unfolding just down the road from where I live, and it turns out one of those watching from above is a Catholic priest. From the New York Times: So a Catholic priest walks onto a tennis court. Seriously. It happens, for Father Paul Arinze, every day at the United States Open. Often, Arinze climbs into the chair, as a certified bronze badge umpire. There, he officiates serves, not church services, matches instead of Mass. Below,... Read more

2016-09-30T17:37:18-04:00

That’s how one priest I know described this new setting to the familiar (some would argue, overly familiar) “Mass of Creation” by Marty Haugan.  A lot of American parishes have used the older version, and will begin using this new setting this month, in anticipation of the new Roman Missal, which makes its debut on the first Sunday of Advent.  If you’re curious about how it sounds, have a listen, below.  It’s the same…but, well, not. Read more

2016-09-30T17:37:19-04:00

Just in time for Labor Day, this week the Catholic Standard in Washington introduces readers to the deacon who directs human resources for the Archdiocese: The e-mails sent by Deacon Dan Finn, the director of human resources for the Archdiocese of Washington, include a simple phrase at the bottom: “Taking care of the people who take care of the people of God.” That motto is something that he and his staff take to heart, as they serve the employees of... Read more

2016-09-30T17:37:19-04:00

“The moral measure of this historic process is not which party wins or which powerful interests prevail, but rather how the jobless, hungry, homeless and poor are treated…At a time of record foreclosures, increasing poverty and high unemployment it is not justifiable to weaken the national safety net or to make disproportionate cuts to programs that can help low and moderate income families avert crisis and live in dignity.” — USCCB letter to “Super Committee”  on deficit reduction Read more. Read more

2016-09-30T17:37:19-04:00

You almost never hear of Catholic priests being suspended for being too conservative — but that seems to happened with this Episcopalian from suburban Philadelphia. Details: A defrocked Episcopal priest must step down as rector of his Rosemont parish and vacate the premises after 21 years there, a Montgomery County Court judge has ruled. The Rev. David Moyer, 60, said Wednesday that he was saddened by Judge Stanley Ott’s decision but would abide by his order to leave the Church... Read more

2016-09-30T17:37:19-04:00

This “national church” commands the highest point in Washington and remains a significant spiritual and historical landmark — and so the Archdiocese of Washington is pitching in to help repair some of the damage from last month’s earthquake: The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is donating $25,000 to help repair the Washington National Cathedral, which sustained millions of dollars in damage in the earthquake that rocked the East Coast on Aug. 23. “The National Cathedral holds a special place in the... Read more

2016-09-30T17:37:19-04:00

For those who thought the 9/11 memorial wine wasn’t quite tacky enough…now this. Details: To the American people and all others who may read this child’s coloring book, We Shall Never Forget is designed to be a tool that parents can use to help teach children about the facts surrounding 9/11. This book also describes basic freedoms in America. We suggest parental guidance. As the 9/11 events are shown countless times on national media, this book will help children understand... Read more

2016-09-30T17:37:19-04:00

Why, Lord, must the good days come to an end? Why are memories not enough? Why is the fall-filtered beauty of light and leaves not enough today to help me let go summer’s warmth and pace and peace? Of seasons there are four, they say, but yet a hundred seasons more just in my one life alone, Lord: seasons of presence, seasons of pain; seasons of sadness, seasons of gain; seasons of sunlight, seasons of rain; seasons of comfort, seasons... Read more

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