The actor who once famously depicted Pope John Paul II is slated to play a Supreme Court Justice in a feature film that is seeking funding: Two Hollywood actors are coming together with pro-life leaders to produce a film detailing the true story behind Roe v. Wade. Academy Award-winning actor Jon Voight and actor/producer Nick Loeb are involved in the making of “Roe v. Wade: The Movie,” along with Alveda King, the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and... Read more

Tragic news, from the local NBC TV station in Los Angeles: The founder of a Catholic school in Ventura was identified Wednesday as one of at least 15 people killed when a wall of mud, boudlers and debris slammed Santa Barbara County homes during the first major storm of winter in Southern California. Roy Rohter, of Montecito, was 84 years old, according to a statement from Saint Augustine Academy, which he founded in Ventura in 1994. Rohter and his wife... Read more

What a witness. Details:  A 43-year-old Catholic nurse in India died on Christmas Day from breast cancer, two years after she refused her doctor’s advice to get an abortion, so she could begin chemotherapy. Sapna Tracy, who already had seven children, refused to sacrifice the life of her child, giving birth to her daughter Philomena in December 2015. “I visited the family on Christmas Day, the day she died, and her husband was carrying the baby in his arms, saying... Read more

You may remember this shocking story from November. The latest:  Three Catholic nuns and three women accompanying them, kidnapped in Nigeria on Nov. 13, 2017, were released after spending nearly two months in captivity. The religious sisters were members of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus (EHJ) Convent in Edo state, in the south of the country. The kidnappers had taken the women from their residence, and fled via speedboat to an unknown destination. The convent later received a ransom demand... Read more

From Ireland:  Mass-goers are being asked to consider an alternative to the handshake or sign of peace in a bid to combat the spread of the winter flu virus. The Bishop of Cork and Ross Dr John Buckley has written to priests in his diocese, asking them to temporarily suspend the traditional handshake. Dr Buckley has suggested priests ask congregations to consider using an alternative non-contact gesture to reflect the symbolism and meaning of the sign of peace. This could... Read more

I got back last night from scenic (and very cold) Norwich, Connecticut, where I had the privilege of speaking at the diocese’s deacon convocation. Now, I’m headed to another tropical oasis in January: Hales Corners, Wisconsin.  I’ll be offering a few thoughts on preaching at the Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology, not far from Milwaukee. It marks my first trip to Wisconsin (check that off my bucket list!) and I’m looking forward to meeting for the first time... Read more

It may be one of the most familiar songs of the Christmas season, and one you can’t resist joining in to sing. Notably: it was written by an Episcopal deacon. About this hymn:  “We Three Kings“, also known as “We Three Kings of Orient Are” or “The Quest of the Magi“, is a Christmas carol that was written by John Henry Hopkins Jr. in 1857. At the time of composing the carol, Hopkins served as the rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and he wrote... Read more

He made an appearance at SLS18 in Chicago this week—promoting his new movie about the life of St. Paul and delivering a rousing speech about faith, conversion and courage. Check it out above. Read more

Well now, this is something new (at least to me). I wonder if anyone has tried it lately: Every year, almost five million Christians make pilgrimage to the Vatican to celebrate and grow in their faith, and to see the many sites rich in the history of the Church. Visitors might expect to see the Vatican museums, the legendary frescoes of the Sistine chapel, or Saint Peter’s Basilica. However, there is one site any visitor would probably never think they... Read more

Time for my annual reminder about chanting the date of Easter. From a post I published last year:  A lot of places have stopped doing this brief, two minute chant, traditionally sung on Epiphany; a visiting priest who heard me do it last January was amazed. “I’ve never heard that before, anywhere,” he said. But my parish also does arcane bits of liturgy like the Blessing of Chalk and marking the church portal with the initials of the wise men. (That ritual... Read more