Now hear this: priest orders kids out of mass for not singing loudly

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:47 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Now I’ve heard everything — including a story about a priest who evidently didn’t hear enough. Check this out: Some parents with students in Nebraska’s largest Catholic grade school think their priest went too far in ordering 250 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders out of Mass because they weren’t singing loudly enough. Incensed, the parents say they’re paying tuition so their kids can get Catholic instruction — not for the kids to be denied Holy Communion during Lent. Other parents, however,... Read more

Are you Catholic?

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:47 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

There’s a new social website for Catholics — and, really, non-Catholics — called Are You Catholic? The site has posted an introductory video, below. Details, from the website: AreYouCatholic.com – An easy way for Catholics to publicly and anonymously share what it means to be Catholic. An active Catholic Church offers its parishioners the ability to share with the public the random acts of charity they perform in the community. All acts are traced back to the church and offer... Read more

Sunday's baptisms: 15 babies, 30 parents, 200 people

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:47 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

That was the tally, roughly, for this Sunday’s baptism, which looked a little like this: I’d mentioned this large group in a post on Saturday, and some people were shocked. I was a little apprehensive about it myself — my wife, “Minister of the Towel and Oils” had misgivings, too. The last time I’d baptized a large group, 12, it was a madhouse. Between the bawling babies and chattering godparents and laughing and thigh-slapping friends and neighbors, I should have... Read more

On Fr. Benedict Groeschel: "He was not a stereotypical saint"

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:47 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

While a lot of attention these days is focused on a celebrated priest who until recently was a star on EWTN, one blogger, Daniel Nichols, is taking a fond look at another, very different EWTN star, Fr. Benedict Groeschel: I was among the first postulants when the community he helped found broke away from the Capuchins to live a more ascetic life, over twenty years ago now. Living with them in New York I got to see Father Benedict close up. One of... Read more

NH legislator calls bishop "a pedophile pimp" — UPDATED

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:47 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

It happened on his Facebook page, and was duly reported by the Concord Monitor in New Hampshire: House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt this morning wrote on his Facebook page that Catholic Bishop John McCormack is a “pedophile pimp” with “absolutely no moral credibility to lecture anyone.” McCormack spoke yesterday at a State House rally where thousands of demonstrators criticized the state budget proposed by the House of Representatives. McCormack criticized the budget for failing to protect people in need and... Read more

Sunday morning penguins

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:47 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

And why not? First, there’s this quirky little trailer for “Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” which has suddenly catapulted to the top of my “must-see” list this summer. (Some of this was filmed around the neighborhood where I was working in Brooklyn, but I don’t recall seeing any penguins — or Jim Carrey — on the street.) And if that weren’t enough, how about this delightful bit of whimsy from the BBC, which broadcast this video on April Fool’s Day a few... Read more

Exodus: millions of Mexicans no longer Catholic

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:47 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

The statistics are troubling — and point to a growing number of Protestants in Mexico, according to this report: More than 1,000 Mexicans left the Catholic Church every day over the last decade, adding up to some 4 million fallen-away Catholics between 2000 and 2010, sociologist and historian Roberto Blancarte told Efe. Blancarte, one of the nation’s outstanding specialists on religious subjects, said that one of the main conclusions to be drawn from the 2010 census is that Mexico is... Read more

A peachy time in Atlanta

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 5:47 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Sorry it’s been quiet around here. I was out all day — and it was quite an adventure. I was invited to give the keynote at the convocation of deacons in the Archdiocese of Atlanta — so I was up at 3:30 (yes, a.m.) to get to the airport before 5, and catch a 6 a.m. flight. I arrived at Atlanta’s cathedral at exactly 9, just as the deacons began processing down the aisle, and I got a glimpse of... Read more

Homily for April 3, 2011: 4th Sunday of Lent

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 5:29 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Today’s gospel begins with an encounter between Christ and a blind beggar. So I want to start off with a story of another beggar – a story, in fact, involving Pope John Paul. Several years ago, a priest from the Archdiocese of New York was visiting Rome. As he was walking into a church to pray, he noticed a beggar at the door. Something looked vaguely familiar about him. As he began to pray, he realized what it was. He... Read more

Homily for April 3, 2011: 4th Sunday of Lent

Last updated on: April 2, 2011 at 4:46 am By Deacon Greg Kandra