The Pilot newspaper wrote about them shortly before the ordination: Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley will ordain seven men as permanent deacons at St. Edith Stein Parish in Brockton on Sept. 30, 2017 at 10 a.m. The four-year journey to the diaconate for these seven men began in September 2013 when they began attending classes two nights a week with their wives. The Deaconate [sic] Formation Program also requires two retreats a year, one with wives and one together as a... Read more

A remarkable vocation story, via The Washington Post:  Within moments, what started as an ordinary late shift in the office at ESPN turned into one of the worst nights of Anthony Federico’s life. Federico lived for the big stories in sports. And the biggest on that night in 2012 was Jeremy Lin, whose remarkable tear in the NBA was making him a sensation not just in New York, where he played for the Knicks, but also abroad, where fans were... Read more

From Vatican Radio:  The Bishop of Las Vegas, Joseph Pepe, has issued a statement in the wake of Sunday night’s deadly shooting, which left more than fifty people dead. “Our hearts go out to everyone,” Bishop Pepe said. “We are praying for those who have been injured, those who have lost the lives, for the medical personnel and first responders who, with bravery and self-sacrifice have helped so many.” Bishop Pepe continued, “We are also very heartened by the stories... Read more

And look where you can read all about it: The New York Times. Details:  In August, under a bright blue sky and in front of 2,500 worshipers, Bishop Gregory Ochiagha performed the first traditional Latin ordination in Nigeria since the vernacular liturgy was introduced after Vatican II. Near the end of the Mass, the 86-year-old bishop nearly fainted. “I am so happy, I am so happy,” he whispered as he was led to a chair. Catholics attached to the Latin... Read more

From Vatican Radio: Pope Francis has expressed his “spiritual closeness” to victims of the deadly shooting in Las Vegas, which left more than fifty people dead, and hundreds more wounded. In the telegram addressed to the Bishop Joseph Anthony Pepe of Las Vegas, the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said Pope Francis was “deeply saddened” to learn of “this senseless tragedy.” The Holy Father, he said, “commends the He commends the efforts of the police and emergency service... Read more

As the horrifying news continues to unfold from Las Vegas, now the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, I offer here part of a sermon delivered at Virginia Tech in the spring of 2007, shortly after the last worst mass shooting in U.S. history. The preacher is the Christian writer Phillip Yancey, who sought to answer the question, “Where is God when it hurts?” His answer can serve as a healing balm during this terrible moment. And it ends on... Read more

Pope Francis met with immigrants today—and as the image here shows (shared by Greg Burke on Twitter), he expressed personal solidarity with refugees, even donning the same wristband that they wear. Solidarity #PopeFrancis wears the same bracelet all the immigrants receivePhoto @oss_romano pic.twitter.com/5ucmZ79nFn — Greg Burke (@GregBurkeRome) October 1, 2017 //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Details:  Already well known for his advocacy on behalf of compassion and welcome for immigrants, Pope Francis on Sunday called for opening humanitarian corridors for refugees in difficult situations... Read more

The head of Facebook posted this on his page last night: Tonight concludes Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for Jews when we reflect on the past year and ask forgiveness for our mistakes. For those I hurt this year, I ask forgiveness and I will try to be better. For the ways my work was used to divide people rather than bring us together, I ask forgiveness and I will work to do better. May we all... Read more

Evidently, it’s because other religions are losing members. From the Scottish Catholic Observer: The latest figures from the Scottish Household Survey show the number of Catholics in Scotland remaining stable over the last decade, but a drop in the membership of the Church of Scotland and a rise in the number of people claiming no religion. 14 per cent of Scots say they are Catholic in the survey, a statistically insignificant decrease from 15 per cent in 2009. Comparatively, the... Read more

This is inspiring: the story of how one city is reaching out to help the homeless and panhandlers by meeting them where they are—on street corners, under bridges, in parks—and offering them city jobs that give them a little money and, more importantly, dignity. The PBS video above shows how it works. Last year, Politico had this profile: Since the program began…more than 400 different panhandlers have taken the offer, and many have used it as a stepping stone to... Read more