Holy Toledo! A priest friend sent me the image above. The ordination occurred last weekend at Our Lady Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral, with Bishop Daniel Thomas celebrating. I hope to get a list of the newly ordained and more details soon. A local report indicates this is the largest class in recent years; it may well be one of the largest deacon classes in the country this year. Meantime, a local paper has this profile of two... Read more

The press release:  House Speaker Paul Ryan will deliver the keynote address at this year’s 72nd annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner. During the dinner, scheduled for Thursday, October 19, 2017 in the Grand Ballroom of New York’s Hilton Hotel Midtown, Speaker Ryan will share the dais with Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, and deliver the evening’s principal speech in the spirit of collegiality and good-humor that is a hallmark of the annual gala. In keeping with... Read more

It was a brutal public execution that shocked and angered the world. And now men linked to it have been sentenced:  An Egyptian court Saturday condemned to death seven people for membership of the Islamic State group and over the beheading in Libya of 21 Christians, all but one of them from Egypt, judicial officials said. ISIS in Libya posted a video on the internet in February 2015 of the gruesome beheadings on a Libyan beach, sparking international condemnation and... Read more

From the Latin Patriarchate:  On Wednesday, September 20, 2017, vandals have broken into and desecrated St. Stephen Church in Beit Gemal, near Beit Shemesh, west of Jerusalem. The perpetrators smashed a statue of the Virgin Mary and the stained-glass windows depicting important passages in the life of Jesus. Bishop Boulos Marcuzzo, Patriarchal Vicar in Jerusalem and Palestine, who visited the Church this morning, said that “this is not only an act of vandalism but an action against the sacredness of the holy places and the... Read more

From CNS:  The shouts of joy and cries of despair that greeted Pope Francis’ recent changes to canon law regarding liturgical texts appear to be exaggerated. The changes can be read as part of Pope Francis’ efforts to promote a “healthy decentralization” of church structures, said Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai. “It makes clear the responsibility of the (bishops’) conferences” in preparing faithful translations. “But this is, more or less, the procedure we have been following.” “Just a few... Read more

Details:  According to reports, the blood St. Januarius liquefied in Naples and the miracle of St. Januarius was recreated on September 19, 2017. The recreation of this miracle is believed to be a good sign for the city of Naples. During the previous occurrence, on December  16, 2016, the blood did not liquefy. This was believed to be a bad omen and a sign of impending destruction and devastation. Related: 5 Astounding Catholic curiosities  Detailed documentation of this miracle has... Read more

From the diocese:  Bishop Bradley ordained 13 men as Permanent Deacons on Saturday. Click here for our Facebook photo album.  Immediately following the Mass Bishop Bradley gave the new Deacons their parish assignments (which are listed after their name). Shown above, front row: Front row from left: Deacon Alan Sosinki, Collaborative of St. Charles Borromeo, Coldwater, St. Mary’s Assumption, Bronson and Our Lady of Fatima, Union City; Deacon Alberto Rivera, St. Gabriel Parish, Berrien Springs; and Deacon Philip Sirk, Holy Maternity of Mary, Dowagiac,... Read more

He spoke on the subject of hope today during his General Audience, and he offered some practical pointers that I think are especially timely: No matter “where God has planted you, hope. Always hope,” he said, explaining: — Enemy No. 1 is not out there somewhere, but inside oneself. “Don’t make room for bitter or dark thoughts.” — “Believe in the existence of the most noble and beautiful truths” and trust that God, through the Holy Spirit, is ushering everything... Read more

The folks at Crux spoke to a few Catholics who watched the speech: Republican Congressman Sean Duffy told Crux that he was proud of the president’s bold words on Tuesday. “As a Catholic and father of eight, I am proud that President Donald Trump stood up for the dignity of human life all over the world, and that he called on all nations of the world to allow their people to ‘flourish in the fullness of the life intended by... Read more

Who knew? From the Catholic Register in Canada: St. Jacobs, Ont., is home to a historic village, a charming farmer’s market and one of Canada’s most renowned Catholic sculptors, Timothy Schmalz. On this day, in his backyard, Schmalz has a visitor — Jesus. Or rather a stand-in for Jesus. And he’s holding a rifle. Ed Czuchnicki, 65, has modelled for Schmalz for about 20 years and been the life model for all of the artist’s Jesus sculptures inspired by a... Read more