“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” This feast day, those words carry more weight than usual. After the tragic events of yesterday, we are a city and a country in mourning; we pray to be comforted. We are a people haunted by fear; we pray to be consoled. We know we aren’t the first to live in an age of anxiety. Sadly, we probably won’t be the last. But we know this, too: trying to make... Read more

Details, from CNA: Pope Francis will visit on Thursday an Italian cemetery for American personnel killed in World War II, where he will say Mass for All Souls’ Day. The Pope’s Nov. 2 Mass will be held at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial in Nettuno, a little more than 20 miles south of Albano Laziale. Cemetery Superintendent Melanie Resto said that for Francis to choose to commemorate the fallen soldiers at the cemetery is “the biggest honor I can... Read more

Big news out of Washington: The Senate confirmed a Notre Dame law professor to a Chicago-based federal appeals court Tuesday court despite widespread criticism from advocacy groups. Democratic Sens. Joe Donnelly (Ind.), Tim Kaine (Va.) and Joe Manchin (W.Va.) joined Republicans in the 55-43 vote to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Barrett has claimed that ObamaCare’s birth-control mandate is “a grave violation of religious freedom” and questioned the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Roe v.... Read more

From the Catholic Herald: Hundreds of Catholics joined a silent Eucharistic procession in the city of Norwich on the evening of Friday, October 27 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Abortion Act. Organisers say around 700 took part in the candle-lit procession through the city centre, which was followed by Benediction and a vigil of prayer throughout the night at the Cathedral of St John the Baptist. ddressing the congregation at the start of the procession, Fr Henry Whisenant... Read more

Technically, she will be “Blessed,” but the story of this martyr, Sister Rani, speaks to the age in which we live—an age of persecution and martyrdom that cries out for courageous people of faith. The image above shows the man who killed her—and who later repented for his crime, and was forgiven by her family—praying before her image at her convent in India. Attention must be paid. Details: The upcoming beatification of an Indian nun murdered over 20 years ago,... Read more

The headline refers to the guy on the left, Bishop Paul Tighe, who never fails to say hello and offer a friendly word when he bumps into a befuddled deacon from Brooklyn—as he did two years ago (as we see above) at the Catholic Media Conference in Buffalo. I don’t know many of the Vatican’s guys, but I have met this one, and I would have to agree with a lot of what John Allen has to say here:  Marshall... Read more

Wow. I’d never heard of this before. Via the BBC:  Around 11km outside the city of Siauliai in northern Lithuania, an old, earthen mound hunches under the weight of thousands of crosses. As the wind blows across the fields of rural Siauliai County, ornate rosaries clink against metal and wooden crucifixes, filling the air with eerie chimes. Known as the Hill of Crosses, the mound’s history is a complex narrative of wars and uprisings. Ancient legends, mysterious visions and accounts... Read more

Check out the trailer above. Details: A new documentary-film depicting the efforts of priests in Sicily to keep up with an increasing global demand for church-sanctioned exorcism has been released in the UK. ‘Deliver Us’, which opened in selected UK cinemas on Friday 27 October, shows people travelling from across Sicily to Father Cataldo’s mass of liberation in Palermo every Tuesday, and for private sessions with the exorcist. Demand is so high that Father Cataldo turns many away. He even... Read more

Something altogether different, from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the Catholic Telegraph: Melchizedek Village, named after the first priest mentioned in the Bible, is home to seven retired diocesan Roman Catholic priests. The flag of Melchizedek Village is a flag of Christ’s priesthood and a flag for ordained priests. The predominant colors are red, white and gold. Jesus Christ is Priest, Prophet and King. Catholic priests are ordained to share in the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. Red represents Christ the Priest pouring out his blood on... Read more

A story from Pennsylvania about how one community is marking the anniversary of the Reformation: Led by the thurifer, the deacon/cantor and three acolytes, the Revs. A.J. Domines, pastor at Christ Lutheran Church, and Steven Fauser, pastor at St. Peter Catholic Church, walked side-by-side down the center aisle of Christ Lutheran in Elizabethtown Wednesday evening. Outside, the church bells rang, saluting a joint Lutheran-Catholic service that Christ Lutheran historian Phillip P. Clark said had never before  been held in the... Read more