Vatican message to Muslims: "We are spiritually very close to you…"

August 22, 2011 By Deacon Greg Kandra

The traditional message for the conclusion of Ramadan this year includes a plea for peace and an end to fanatacism. Excerpt: Christians and Muslims, beyond their differences, recognise the dignity of the human person endowed with both rights and duties. They think that intelligence and freedom are indeed gifts which must impel believers to recognize these values which are shared because they rest on the same human nature. This is why the transmission of such human and moral values to theyounger generations... Read more

Phoenix bans altar girls from serving at cathedral

August 22, 2011 By Deacon Greg Kandra

I imagine this news will stir up some debate around the diocese: The Rev. John Lankeit, rector of the cathedral, said he made the decision in hopes of promoting the priesthood for males and other religious vocations, such as becoming a nun, for females. Made up primarily of fifth- through eighth-graders the altar-server corps in American churches has included girls since 1983 in many places. Girls and boys regularly serve together at churches throughout the Phoenix Catholic Diocese. Bishops and... Read more

Happy Monday!

August 22, 2011 By Deacon Greg Kandra

"My heart was racing, like, majorly…!"

August 21, 2011 By Deacon Greg Kandra

That’s one Maryland pilgrim’s excited response to seeing the pope up close and personal at World Youth Day. What was it like? She tells us: Read more

Voris responds: "There are many people in the Church who have it out for us…" — UPDATED

August 21, 2011 By Deacon Greg Kandra

Michael Voris has posted a video and text which responds to the Catholic News Agency report about his company and one of his employees. He explains what happened — and also addresses the controversy over the World Youth Day statement, which noted that he lacked official approval to appear at WYD in Madrid. Toward the end of the video, he states: If the goal is to intimidate or malign us .. then thank you for finally showing your fangs. At... Read more

"Be afraid neither of the world, nor of the future, nor of your weakness…"

August 21, 2011 By Deacon Greg Kandra

“Yes, dear friends, God loves us. This is the great truth of our life; it is what makes everything else meaningful. We are not the product of blind chance or absurdity; instead our life originates as part of a loving plan of God. To abide in his love, then, means living a life rooted in faith, since faith is more than the mere acceptance of certain abstract truths: it is an intimate relationship with Christ, who enables us to open... Read more

A "dying breed": nuns disappearing from hospitals

August 21, 2011 By Deacon Greg Kandra

Given the dwindling vocations, this shouldn’t be a shock. But it’s sad news nonetheless: When Sister Mary Jean Ryan entered the convent as a young nurse in 1960, virtually every department of every Catholic hospital was run by a nun, from pediatrics to dietary to billing. After her retirement on July 31 as the chief executive of one of the country’s largest networks of Catholic hospitals, only 11 nuns remained among her company’s more than 22,000 employees, and none were... Read more

Sacred transformation: another wedding story

August 21, 2011 By Deacon Greg Kandra

You might consider this the flip side of the story I posted yesterday, courtesy Fr. Dwight Longenecker. He approached a wedding ceremony the same way I approach baptisms, by first reminding those present of what is really about to occur and underscoring the solemnity of the occasion. The results, I think, speak for themselves: As I conducted the rehearsal I explained about the Catholic view of marriage and discussed God’s love and our human loves and what the different elements... Read more

“Be afraid neither of the world, nor of the future, nor of your weakness…”

August 21, 2011 By Deacon Greg Kandra

"Let's get out there and scratch that surface!"

August 20, 2011 By Deacon Greg Kandra

When I first joined CBS News in 1982, typing and answering phones in the Washington bureau, one of the first calls I picked up was from New York, from a producer who said his name was “Elaine Benardos.” Well, it was my first day on the job, and that was my first big blunder. It was actually someone named Lane Venardos, a senior producer for the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather. That was my first encounter with Lane. It... Read more