I stumbled on this story late today: an account of a gorgeous, hand-made portable altar from a place called St. Joseph’s Apprentice. I visited the website, where the craftsman behind these, Rick Murphey, writes: If God came down and told us what our mission in life was to be, we would do it, and find great happiness in doing it.   Although it was not a bolt of lightning but rather a very subtle nudge after acquiring a lifetime of experience... Read more

At 35, she’s also remarkably young. From The Southern Cross:  In a groundbreaking decision, San Diego Catholic Bishop Robert W. McElroy appointed María Olivia (Marioly) Galván as the diocese’s first woman chancellor. In addition, she will serve in a new position, director of Pastoral Ministries, overseeing and supporting seven departments. The offices are the Diocesan Institute, Family Life and Spirituality, Liturgy and Spirituality, Social Ministry, Young Adult Ministry, Youth Ministry, and Evangelization and Catechetical Ministry, which she has directed for two years and will... Read more

Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark writes in today’s New York Times:  The Gospel of Jesus Christ calls on us to welcome and protect the stranger. This should not be hard to do when the stranger is young, blameless and working hard to make this country a better place. There are nearly 700,000 young men and women in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program who could soon be at risk for deportation. These “Dreamers” live in our neighborhoods, attend our... Read more

Is anyone surprised? From Politico:  Dan Lipinski is the kind of candidate Democrats need more of for the party to win the House in November. But the national Democratic Party is refusing to endorse him. The seven-term congressman from Chicago, who opposes abortion and voted against Obamacare, marriage equality and immigration reform, is one of the most conservative members of the House Democratic Caucus. The question of whether the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will officially back Lipinski for reelection —... Read more

Unfold the boxes and collect old newspapers for wrapping the Hummel figurines: this blog is about to move. Several months back, I got a friendly phone call from the good people at Beliefnet, who had just purchased Patheos. I chatted with the COO Jeremy McGee, who wanted to know if I was interested in returning to Patheos.  Well, to make a long story short, that’s where you’ll find me, starting Thursday, March 1.  It’s a double homecoming, of sorts. Beliefnet... Read more

Local news reports picked up that the singer was visiting St. Louis — stopping by the  museum and the beautiful Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.  Then she tweeted about it: [img attachment=”282859″ align=”aligncenter” size=”full” /] Stefani has been candid about her religious beliefs and Catholic upbringing, and last year was photographed proudly attending her son’s First Communion. Read more

It’s due to a dispute over a proposed tax policy. Details:  The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, Christianity’s holiest site, was closed to visitors on Sunday in an unprecedented move to protest proposed Israeli tax and land policies governing church-owned property. The heads of the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian Apostolic churches in the city released a letter accusing Israel of a “systematic and offensive campaign” against Christians. The Jerusalem municipality plans to tax some church assets... Read more

This weekend, we’re marking the 10th anniversary of the day my deacon brother and classmate Jim Hynes entered eternal life. He was taken from us much too soon, just nine months after ordination, at the age of 50 after a brief battle with colon cancer. I’ll never forget Jim’s funeral on March 1, 2008. Bishop Frank Caggiano was the celebrant. Bagpipes played. It was a brilliant, brisk late winter morning. The church was packed with cops and clergy.  I preached... Read more

The announcement came in a letter from Bishop Daniel Thomas: [img attachment=”282639″ align=”aligncenter” size=”full” /] I found this interview with one of the sisters, Sister Mary Prudence, in the pages of America: Born as Christine Hope Allen in Oneida, New York, Sister Prudence’s family descends from a 19th century utopian religious community. She converted to Catholicism in 1964 and married in 1965, raising two sons and teaching university philosophy. Her marriage was annulled in 1972 and she joined the U.S.... Read more

We hear this hymn during Lent, and this week it’s the processional at my parish. It has the distinction of having been written by St. Gregory the Great (though some scholars dispute that and suggest its actual authorship is unknown.) Nonetheless, it has a long and venerable history. Some background:  The Glory of These Forty Days is a 1906 translation by Anglican Minister, Maurice F. Bell (1862-1947) of the 6th century latin hymn Clarum Decus Jejunii, attributed to Pope St. Gregory the Great (540-604). It was traditionally... Read more