Details:  While our country continues the ongoing controversy surrounding the moral, legal and religious issue of abortion, the indisputable fact remains that an unborn baby’s heart beats after 18 days.  That is the hard-hitting billboard message that has greeted motorists driving west on Interstate 210 since early July, thanks to the work of Respect Life ministers at St. Peter and St. Paul Parish, Alta Loma, in collaboration with interfaith partners. Driving home from an Assure Pregnancy Counseling Center banquet in... Read more

A helpful reminder from today’s Mass reading: “Deacons must be dignified, not deceitful, not addicted to drink, not greedy for sordid gain, holding fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. Moreover, they should be tested first; then, if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. …Deacons may be married only once and must manage their children and their households well. Thus those who serve well as deacons gain good standing and much confidence... Read more

From Vatican Radio:  Pope Francis has set up a new Pontifical institute for the study of marriage and the family, replacing the organisation set up by his predecessor in 1981. In a Motu Proprio, published on Tuesday, the Vatican announced that the John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences is being established to carry forward the work of the two recent Synods of Bishops and the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia. Noting the important work that has... Read more

The ordination happened Saturday, and dozens of pictures have been posted on the diocese’s Facebook page. More details to come. Ad multos annos, one and all! Read more

A big h/t to the gang at ChurchPop for discovering this: Lady Gaga posted on Instagram a picture of herself praying the rosary, with this explanation: I have always been honest about my physical and mental health struggles. Searching for years to get to the bottom of them. It is complicated and difficult to explain, and we are trying to figure it out. As I get stronger and when I feel ready, I will tell my story in more depth,... Read more

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:  The Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh took another step toward a massive restructuring Friday with the release of recommendations for merging its current 188 parishes into 48. The parishes would keep multiple worship sites open, although some churches would close under the recommendations, which come under a restructuring process launched by Bishop David Zubik and titled On Mission for the Church Alive. But the parishes would each come under a new, streamlined administration designed to cope... Read more

It happened this weekend, as the saint’s relics came to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and he took The Big Apple by storm. Even The New York Times took note: There were concert style T-shirts, commemorative merchandise and a line that stretched down 51st Street in Manhattan on Sunday, buzzing with all the anticipation of a rock show. In place of a stadium was St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and at the center of it all was St. Padre Pio — or, more specifically,... Read more

California Senator Dianne Feinstein raised the issue of the “dogma” of a Catholic judicial nominee, which sparked a backlash, including this direct response from Notre Dame president Rev. John Jenkins:  Considering your questioning of my colleague Amy Coney Barrett during the judicial confirmation hearing of September 6, I write to express my confidence in her competence and character, and deep concern at your line of questioning. Professor Barrett has been a member of our faculty since 2002, and is a... Read more

I’m here in the Archdiocese of Baltimore this weekend, leading a convocation of deacons and their wives. This was our entrance hymn for the final Mass Sunday. Written by the prolific Marty Haugen, it may be one of the most familiar hymns in parishes around America, popular in both Catholic and Protestant gatherings. The story behind it:  “Gather us in” (1982) represents Mr. Haugen’s skill both as a poet and composer. As an opening hymn or an entrance song, it... Read more

Congratulations, brothers!  Ad multos annos! From the press release: With the congregation joined in prayer and song, eleven men lay side by side on the floor of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland, a sign of humility and reliance on the mercy of Christ. It was a moving sight for the hundreds who filled the cathedral to see the men ordained to the permanent diaconate by Bishop Robert P. Deeley on Saturday, September 16. “What a beautiful day... Read more