Want a piece of footwear history?  Here’s your chance. The press release:  Thanks to President George H.W. Bush, a one-of-a-kind piece of history from Super Bowl LI will be auctioned off at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland’s Harvest Ball at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland on Friday, October 20. In February, President Bush performed the Super Bowl’s ceremonial coin toss alongside his wife, Barbara, before the opening kickoff. The president has donated the patriotic socks he... Read more

The Vatican’s Greg Burke posted this image on Instagram with a simple caption: “The Pope Emeritus, today at 5 p.m.” God bless him and keep him. Read more

Chalk this up to Fake News, Vatican edition. From CNA:  Archbishop Georg Ganswein, the personal secretary of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, has rejected reports that the former pontiff is nearing death. Rumors of Benedict XVI being close to death circulated on social media following a quote attributed to Ganswein, which reads, “Pope Benedict is like a candle that fades slowly. He is serene, at peace with God, with himself and the world. He can no longer walk without help and... Read more

And people are now flocking to the church where the alleged apparitions occurred. (Check out the video above.) Details:  A group of lower primary school students in India claim that they have seen several apparitions of Jesus Christ and Virgin Mary. According to Matters India, it all started on September 23 when a young girl student named Krishnaveda visited a church to pray for her ear problem and applied holy water. She told her fellow students at the St. Ambrose... Read more

The good people at Rome Reports have the scoop; check out the video above for a story of Christian compassion being carried out through the auspices of the Order of Malta. Read more

Well, God bless him. The circumstances might be a little, um, unconventional. And it seems clear it wasn’t a Catholic ceremony. But a public profession of faith—especially by a high profile sports figure—is something to celebrate and support. Details:  Marcus Johnson, a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles, said he was baptized in a North Carolina swimming pool Thursday with the support of several of his teammates — and tweeted out a photo of the event. “First time being Baptized! Corporate... Read more

Details: Members of Ireland’s main opposition party have voted overwhelming to oppose the repeal of the Eighth Amendment to the country’s constitution, which protects the life of the unborn. Fianna Fáil members voted at the party’s Ardfheis – or conference – to back a motion calling for the preservation of the amendment. At the same time, they rejected a motion calling for its repeal. Ireland is due to vote next year in a referendum on repealing the Eighth Amendment. Although... Read more

From Vatican Radio:  Pope Francis has announced a special assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region that will focus on the needs of its indigenous people, on new paths for evangelization and on the crisis of the rain forest. The Pope’s announcement came on Sunday during the Angelus after a canonization Mass during which he canonized 35 new saints, including three indigenous children martyred in 16th century Mexico. “Accepting the desire of some Catholic Bishops’ Conferences in Latin America, as... Read more

This is something remarkable: a new book on the diaconate, with a prologue by Pope Francis. The book is not yet available in English, but has been translated from Italian into Spanish—and Deacon John Donaghy (the only permanent deacon in the Diocese of Santa Rosa de Copán, Honduras!) graciously offered to translate it for my readers.  It’s published below.  To Deacon John, I can only offer a humble and heartfelt “Gracias!”  I’m sure I speak for a lot of deacons... Read more

From The Catholic Herald:  Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church says a priest has been killed in a knife attack in a poor Cairo district, the latest deadly assault on members of the country’s Christian minority. The church says the attack took place on Thursday. The priest was identified in the media as Father Samaan Shehata [shown in the picture on the right]. Security officials say the attacker struck the priest’s head with a cleaver and fled the scene, but was later... Read more