Details: Thy will be done. They are more than words in a prayer for Norman Erb-White. They’re part of his life journey. Erb-White, 47, of Ambridge is or, more accurately, was an Anglican priest. Until Saturday, when Erb-White and five of his six children were received into the Roman Catholic Church at Good Samaritan Parish in Ambridge during the Easter Vigil Mass. Erb-White was raised in the United Church of Christ — a preacher’s kid nonetheless — and he said... Read more
This is something truly wonderful, from Sulmona, Italy: the annual public gathering in the streets that re-enacts the moment when a grieving Mary first saw her risen son. Read on at the website Life in Abruzzo: It’s difficult not to feel that Sulmona’s Easter re-enactment of ‘La Madonna che Scappa’ (Running Madonna) symbolizes Spring throwing off the dark winter months and the growing green of Abruzzo as new shoots take hold. Whichever meaning you like to apply, the rush of hope and excitement... Read more
NBC has helpfully posted almost all the live broadcast from Easter night on its YouTube website—and, since I missed it, the first thing I wanted to check out was Alice Cooper’s take on “King Herod’s Song.” He didn’t disappoint—and concluded with a literal mic drop. Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk9JZYSmmdw Want more? Here’s the sensational Brandon Victor Dixon performing the title song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yleuZbY8rKk Read more
I knew this was coming, but the cat is finally out of the bag. My old Facebook friend Deacon Sean Smith posted the news Easter morning on his Facebook page: Friends, there are some changes in my life since I last shared with all of you. I have recently been accepted by the Archdiocese of Dubuque as a seminarian! If God wills it, I will be ordained a priest in a few years! This is something Sara and I talked... Read more
From CNN: Pope Francis baptized a Nigerian migrant — who shot to fame after confronting a thief on the streets of Rome — as part of Saturday’s Easter service. In September last year, migrant John Ogah, 31, had been begging outside a supermarket in Rome when he confronted a thief, who was armed with a meat cleaver and attempting to steal money from the store. Ogah was heralded a hero by the Italian press, and on Saturday was one of... Read more
Kudos to my friend Maria Ribar who, from her perch in the choir loft, captured these images from the Easter Vigil. We welcomed eight new Catholics, and three more who received the rest of their sacraments. It was, as always, a glorious night. Read more
Catholic News Service has this helpful reminder of something the pope has said about the place one journalist claims he says does not exist: The alleged quotes ascribed to Pope Francis directly contradict the many public remarks he has made in homilies and speeches confirming the existence of hell. Meeting a group of children and teens during a Rome parish visit March 8, 2015, a female Scout asked the pope, “If God forgives everybody, why does hell exist?” The pope... Read more
An Easter classic—and one with an old and venerable history: “Jesus Christ Is Risen Today” was first written in Latin titled “Surrexit Christus hodie“, as a Bohemian hymn in the 14th century by an unknown author on manuscripts written in Munich and Breslau. In Latin, it had eleven verses. It was first translated into English in 1708 by John Baptist Walsh to be included in his Lyra Davidica (Collection of Divine Songs and Hymns). The verses of the hymn were revised in 1749 by John Arnold. Initially the hymn... Read more
Believe it or not, The New York Times sports section tackles that question: The history of basketball excellence at Catholic colleges stretches back as long as the tournament itself. In its early decades, Holy Cross, La Salle, San Francisco and Loyola racked up titles; Marquette’s golden age was in the late 1960s and ’70s; the 1985 Final Four included three Catholic schools (St. John’s, Georgetown and Villanova); and Gonzaga has had an extraordinary run of 20 consecutive tournament berths, including in... Read more
Once again, the Holy Father washed the feet of prisoners on Holy Thursday. And once again, he wore his stole like a deacon to do it. “The servant of the servants of God” continues to show the diaconal heart of his papacy—and show to the world what it means to be a deacon. Watch the video from Rome Reports below. Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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