June 8, 2011

And the numbers continue to grow.  Welcome, brothers! Details, from the Catholic Standard & Times: The Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul was jammed June 4, as family, friends, clergy and fellow parishioners turned out for the ordination by Cardinal Justin Rigali of 19 men for the permanent diaconate. Preaching at a ceremony strikingly similar to the May 21 ordination of three men as priests, he told the new deacons theirs was “a special service to the people of... Read more

June 8, 2011

Would you believe…2003? It’s an Anglican Catholic Our Lady of Walsingham Church near Houston. And this one below? 2008. It’s St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Farragut, Tennessee. Both are part of a growing trend toward more traditional church architecture, according to this piece in the National Catholic Register: “That is an enormous change from 10 years ago,” said architect Ethan Anthony of HDB/Cram & Ferguson Architects of Concord, Mass. “I’ve seen it go from nobody even thinking about this... Read more

June 7, 2011

This guy showed up on “Korea’s Got Talent” — yes, there really is such a thing — and just blew people away.  It’s not just his singing.  It’s also his story. Watch Sung-bong Choi, and be amazed and moved. Footnote: I’m told that the music he is performing was featured in Roland Joffe’s great movie about Jesuits in Latin America,“The Mission.” Read more

June 7, 2011

In fact, the story behind this picture is told right here. As the father pictured above put it: “I’ve always been a religious person, so I pray every day — and that helps me. My family is the light of my life.” Read the story to understand what that means. And keep this family in your prayers. H/T to Fran Read more

June 7, 2011

“There exists a Christian way of being present in the digital world: this takes the form of a communication which is honest and open, responsible and respectful of others. To proclaim the Gospel through the new media means not only to insert expressly religious content into different media platforms, but also to witness consistently, in one’s own digital profile and in the way one communicates choices, preferences and judgements that are fully consistent with the Gospel, even when it is... Read more

June 7, 2011

A reader sent me the link to this bulletin, which carries the note below from a deacon candidate responding to the disturbing news in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.  He was scheduled to be ordained a deacon last weekend, but withdrew at the last minute. His statement: Dear Holy Family Parish: After a great deal of soul searching, prayer and reflection, I have decided not to accept the call to Holy Orders that I have received. Because of the recent... Read more

June 7, 2011

A reader sent me the link to this bulletin, which carries the note below from a deacon candidate responding to the disturbing news in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.  He was scheduled to be ordained a deacon last weekend, but withdrew at the last minute. His statement: Dear Holy Family Parish: After a great deal of soul searching, prayer and reflection, I have decided not to accept the call to Holy Orders that I have received. Because of the recent... Read more

June 6, 2011

They were ordained Saturday. Details, from the Catholic Courier: As four new permanent deacons in the diocese of Rochester sat down before a round of applause for them had ended, Bishop Matthew H. Clark joked that they lived out Jesus’ words a little too well. “You really should never sit down before the applause is complete,” Bishop Clark said. “You are taking this Gospel too seriously.” Humility is one of the qualities evident in Deacons Eric Bessette, Donald Eggleston, John... Read more

June 6, 2011

“We are assessing what went wrong and applying our analysis as we move forward. This past week, I met with our Independent Review Board chairman and discussed the objectivity of our decision processes. I have also met with parishioners, our priests and Chancery staff, as well as the media. These meetings and discussions will continue. As bishop, I take full responsibility for these failures and sincerely apologize to you for them. Clearly, we have to do more.” — Kansas City... Read more

June 6, 2011

That seems to be the unfortunate thinking among many priests (and, supposedly, deacons), according to this observer from the United Kingdom: I once asked an old faithful Catholic why so few people went to confession these days, and he replied at once: “Because we are never exhorted to do so from the pulpit.” This set me thinking, and as a result I made a resolution that I would from then on exhort people, from the pulpit, to go to confession.... Read more


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