Sit back and drink in the beautiful, soulful harmonizing of the Choir of Sommerville College in Oxford. Our choir will be singing this for the offertory this weekend. It was written in the 19th century by Samuel Sebastian Wesley, son of composer Samuel Wesley and grandson of hymn writer Charles Wesley. The words: Lead me, Lord, Lead me in Your righteousness; Make Your way plain before my face. Lead me, Lord, Lead me in Your righteousness; Make Your way plain... Read more

I stumbled on this essay today in The New York Times: seminary professor Kate Bowler writing about how to talk to someone, like her, who’s living with a grim cancer diagnosis. She was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer two years ago, at the age of 35. She’s now written a book, “Everything Happens for a Reason: and Other Lies I’ve Loved.”  In her Times essay, she describes the way people approach her now and try to talk to her:... Read more

From CNS: After special study, the German bishops’ conference decided to stick with the traditional wording in the Lord’s Prayer while the Italian bishops’ conference has decided to change the words of the prayer in their translation of the Roman Missal. The decisions come after the French bishops decided that beginning early December last year, French Catholics would change the line, “Lead us not into temptation,” to the equivalent of “do not let us enter into temptation.” …The German bishops’... Read more

And the slope just got more slippery:  Fifty-nine days ago, a monkey in Shanghai gave birth to a clone. The infant was the first primate to be cloned using tissue cells, the technique that produced Dolly the sheep. A second monkey, identical to the first, was born 10 days later. The two clones, named Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua, are alive and healthy, researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences told reporters Tuesday. “Monkeys are nonhuman primates that are evolutionarily... Read more

A great story about an initiative in the Diocese of Camden: A day of service to visit area senior citizens. Times for reflection in the seasons of Advent and Lent. The blessing of throats on the feast of Saint Blasé. These were just a few of the occasions Deacon Russell Davis was blessed to spend with the students of Saint Mary School, Vineland, last year, ministering and guiding the young pupils on their faith journey. It didn’t hurt that two... Read more

Details from CNA: An Irish priest and exorcist is asking the country’s bishops for more support after noticing a dramatic increase in demonic activity in the country. In a recent interview with The Irish Catholic, Fr. Pat Collins said he has been overwhelmed with the number of requests for exorcisms from the faithful in Ireland. In an open letter, he has urged the Irish bishops to train more priests to deal with the demand. “(I)t’s only in recent years that... Read more

Add this to the list of amazing moments I never thought I’d see on television. In the midst of a discussion last night about FBI text messages, CNN’s Chris Cuomo teaches Rep. Matt Gaetz what the Immaculate Conception means.   (Props to Cuomo for getting it right!) Watch the interview segment below.   Read more

From The New York Times:  Albertus Magnus College, a Catholic institution in New Haven, on Wednesday rescinded the honorary degree it granted last year to Gordon Edelstein, the artistic director of Long Wharf Theater who was fired Tuesday night over accusations of sexual misconduct. The college’s board of trustees made the decision just two days after The New York Times reported that Mr. Edelstein had joked about having had sex with the school’s nuns. That joke was one of multiple... Read more

Details:  “You are called to be salt and light in a very special way,” Bishop Larry Silva said in his homily directed at six men in white albs in the front pew of the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa, the evening of Jan. 18, moments before he ordained them deacons. Expounding on the words of the Gospel reading, the bishop gave the deacon candidates their marching orders: to bring the taste and radiance of Jesus to prison inmates, to troubled married... Read more

Every diocese should do this. From The Michigan Catholic:  Parishioners need their priests. But priests also need their parishioners. That’s the spirit behind Parishioners for Priests, a grassroots movement that encourages Catholics to give local priests the one thing they need most: prayers. The movement began on Palm Sunday 2017 and since has grown to more than 500 followers on Facebook. Each day, one of the active priests of the Archdiocese of Detroit is selected as the “priest of the... Read more