From CNA: In a speech to a family association Saturday, Pope Francis again stressed that God’s vision of the family is between a man and a woman, and compared the abortion of children who are sick or disabled to a Nazi mentality. “I’ve heard that it’s fashionable, or at least usual, that when in the first few months of pregnancy they do studies to see if the child is healthy or has something, the first offer is: let’s send it... Read more
This is our communion hymn at my parish this week — appropriate, given the Gospel reading about the mustard seed. Some background on the author: As a founding member of EKKLESIA, Dan Feiten was transformed and blessed by a music ministry that has profoundly touched many. His composition, “Seed, Scattered and Sown,” has been sung in churches across the continents, including St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. Other notable songs include: “Let the Heavens Be Glad,” “Create in Me,” “My... Read more
As I mentioned on Corpus Christi, in smallness there is greatness. And Sunday’s scripture reminds us of that once again. Read on: Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a mustard seed – “the smallest of all the seeds of the earth” – but one that grows so large that the birds can nest and “dwell in its shade.” When you consider how the faith has grown, how our Church has spread in this country and around the world, it... Read more
A statement released Friday from the bishops of New Mexico: As bishops of a border state, we respond with dismay to President Donald Trump’s overturning of asylum protections for victims of domestic violence and carrying out the practice of separating families to stem migration. The Bishops of New Mexico strongly support Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, President of United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, whose statement calls for an immediate end to the policy which removes domestic violence as a reason for... Read more
The bishop of Tucson made the proposal earlier this week, and launched a firestorm of debate: Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger attracted national attention this week when he suggested “canonical penalties” for Catholics involved in separating children from families at the border. At the spring meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops this week, Weisenburger lit up social media with his suggestion of punishments under church law, such as denying Communion, to Catholics who carry... Read more
Details: Adapting to day-to-day life without a full-time Catholic priest has become a reality in recent years for most of Ireland’s island communities. But two remote outposts have been singled out for special praise for using practical measures to breathe new life into their priest-less churches, including training resourceful locals to fulfill traditional priestly duties such as leading funeral ceremonies. Father Patrick Burke, curate in Westport, Co. Mayo, is also the pastoral coordinator in Clare Island and Inishturk island, which both... Read more
Yesterday, the Catholic Media Conference, unfolding this week in Green Bay, Wisconsin, sponsored a mini-pilgrimage to nearby Champion, about a 20 minute drive from our hotel, to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help—the only approved Marian apparition site in the U.S. The church stands over the site where the apparition reportedly took place. The story, from a 2010 report in The Compass: Adele Joseph Brise’s story began when she arrived from Belgium with her parents, Lambert and... Read more
While visiting Green Bay, Wisconsin for the Catholic Media Conference, I took a few moments this morning to walk over to the church where the legendary Vince Lombardi attended daily Mass: St. Willebrord’s, just a few blocks from the convention center and my hotel. A plaque outside describes the special relationship Green Bay Packers coach Lombardi had to the place, noting that it was just a short walk from the Packer offices. The inside has preserved much of the character... Read more
From The Catholic Herald: With the youth synod only a few months away, a major new survey of young Catholics in Britain has some startling findings. On the plus side, Complex Catholicism: The Lives and Faith of Young Catholics in England and Wales Today shows a strong increase in regular Mass attendance (at least monthly) from 25 per cent of all respondents in 2009 to 36 per cent in 2017. Irregular Mass attendance (less than monthly) has increased from 59 per cent... Read more
From the BBC: Irish hospitals with a Catholic ethos will be expected to carry out abortions when new laws on terminations come into effect, the Irish prime minister has said. Leo Varadkar said doctors, nurses or midwives could opt out of performing procedures on conscience grounds. However, entire institutions will not have that option. Mr Varadkar was addressing concerns about surgical abortions raised in the Dáil (Irish parliament). It follows a landslide vote in favour of repealing the Republic of Ireland’s... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In