A little glimpse behind the scenes of the conclave that elected Benedict XVI: Pope Francis has revealed that he urged his fellow cardinals to back Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to become Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. He said he had felt that the time was not yet right for a Latin American pope. The revelation comes in a new interview book by an Argentinian journalist, Latinoamérica: Conversaciones con Hernán Reyes Alcaide. Reyes is the Rome correspondent of the Argentine news agency... Read more

Put this one to rest: The Vatican has denied rumours that a secret commission is creating an ‘ecumenical Mass’ that would allow joint Communion between Catholics and Protestants. Greg Burke, director of the Holy See press office, and Archbishop Arthur Roche, the second highest-ranking official in the Congregation for Divine Worship, both strongly denied the reports after days of speculation. Archbishop Roche told journalist Christopher Lamb that the rumors were “utterly false”, while Mr Burke said they were “simply not... Read more

“My friends, these attacks represent a grave warning to our common society. We must collectively look within ourselves and reexamine the premises upon which our society functions. When any society tolerates an attitude that does not protect and respect human life, is comfortable with a prevalent attitude that ‘my life is all about me,’ and allows people to slip into the shadows of loneliness, isolation and despair, my great fear is that such attacks will only continue, with perhaps even... Read more

Among other things, this new study concludes that one in five Americans is “spiritual but not religious.” The findings, from PRRI: The American religious landscape is undergoing unprecedented tectonic shifts in identity and practice. Americans who do not identify with any religious group—the religiously unaffiliated—now account for nearly one-quarter (24%) of the adult public, tripling in size over the last 25 years. At the same time, trust in religious institutions has fallen to historic lows. According to Gallup, only 42%... Read more

From The Federalist: A foundational value in our nation is the opportunity for all its citizens to be able to compete for a fair and meaningful shot at the American dream. This begins with access to citizenship, educational opportunity, and securing meaningful work that leads to greater life opportunities via commitment, diligence, and self-sacrifice. But an important contributor to putting and keeping men, women, and children on the escalator toward the American dream is little-known and widely ignored. Just 70... Read more

The New York Times has more on the deacon stabbed to death last week. Take a look: The deacon, Patrick Logsdon, was the manager of Anthony House in Roosevelt, N.Y., in Nassau County. For more than 30 years, Mr. Logsdon, 70, took in up to nine men at a time, giving them a bed, home-cooked meals, help finding a job and, above all, a tough-love attitude, said James Pfeifer, 61, who worked at the house with Mr. Logsdon for four... Read more

Note: Saturday morning while I was in Washington for the Deacon Convocation, I got a call from our parish administrator. “You want to preach for me tomorrow?” Uh, er, I hadn’t planned on it, but okay. Sure. “It’s the 11:30 for the installation of the altar servers,” he said. Okay. I had no idea what to say. But I wrote this in the Amtrak last night on the way home.  + “The greatest among you must be your servant.” This... Read more

This item was posted on the archdiocese’s Facebook page, along with some pictures. Archbishop Paul Coakley ordained the men at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Oklahoma City. It’s said to be one of the ordination largest classes in the archdiocese, ever. I hope to get more details soon! Congratulations, brothers, and welcome! Ad multos annos! [img attachment=”250348″ align=”aligncenter” size=”full” /]  Photos: Facebook Read more

Here’s a great Protestant hymn from Samuel Sebastian Wesley, a 19th century English composer and organist and, not insignificantly, the grandson of Charles Wesley. Wikipedia notes: Famous in his lifetime as one of his country’s leading organists and choirmasters, he composed almost exclusively for the Church of England, which continues to cherish his memory. His better-known anthems include Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace and Wash me thoroughly. He also wrote several rather late examples of verse anthems, which... Read more

Had a wonderful visit with the deacons in the Archdiocese of Washington and their wives. It’s a great group—lively, energetic, curious, generous in every way. The convocation was held at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Largo. [img attachment=”250277″ align=”aligncenter” size=”full” /] Cardinal Donald Wuerl celebrated Mass in the morning, then had to head out to another appointment. But he had some heartening words to say about the diaconate—and noted that every priest and bishop is also a deacon. A highlight... Read more