Your Irish grandparents or great-grandparents would probably find this hard to believe. But Ireland is now forced to go to other countries to find priests: An Irish bishop has resorted to going to Romania to recruit priests for his diocese. While the number of priests is dwindling in Ireland, there is a surplus of priests there. Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin Denis Nulty visited the east Romanian diocese of Iasi “to explore how we might support projects out there in... Read more

Click the video and play. What a wonderful servant of God and his people. For all those affected by this disaster, and all those worried about their loved ones and their homes, Lord, hear our prayer. Read more

That quote comes from my bishop, who spoke about the sin of racism Thursday night: Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn is forming a new commission to study the effects of racism in the Catholic Church and in the Brooklyn Diocese. He made the announcement Aug. 24 at a specially called Mass for Solidarity and Peace to counter the recent display of racism in demonstrations in Charlottesville, Virginia. He said, “I am establishing a diocesan commission for social justice. … In the... Read more

This is our entrance hymn this Sunday, and here’s a wonderful rendition from a large choir that appears to be in India. About the hymn: The Church’s One Foundation is a Christian hymn written in the 1860s by Samuel John Stone. The song was written as a direct response to the schism within the Church of South Africa caused by John William Colenso, first Bishop of Natal, who denounced much of the Bible as fictitious. This topic is alluded to within the fourth verse of the text “Though... Read more

From The New York Post: It’s hard to picture Mickey Rourke as an angel of mercy, but the “Barfly” actor has been a saint to his favorite priest, Father Pete Colapietro. The Roman Catholic minister has been absent for months from St. Malachy’s on West 49th Street — the Actors’ Chapel where Rudolph Valentino and Tennessee Williams had their funerals — with health issues. After a stint in the hospital, he’s been recuperating at the Dumont Center for Rehabilitation & Nursing Care... Read more

Details:  Starting Thursday, Canadians will have a new way to identify their sex on passports and other government documents: “X” will join the options of male and female. The decision to allow the third category, indicating an “unspecified” sex, is intended to protect the rights of Canadians to identify by the gender of their choice, the country’s immigration department said in announcing the change. Ahmed Hussen, the minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship, said in a statement that the designation was added... Read more

The story, from upstate New York: When the Rev. Joseph Manerowski came to St. Mary’s Church in 2007 from the Immaculate Conception Church in Hoosick Falls, he said he hoped it would be his last move. As it turned out, it was. Manerowski will retire Sept. 1 after 23 years as a priest, and the church will be holding receptions for him on the church lawn after each of this weekend’s masses, which are scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday and... Read more

This just in, from California:  Removal of a number of statues and other smaller Catholic icons from the campus of San Domenico School in San Anselmo has raised concerns among some parents. In an email to the school’s board of directors, Dominican Sisters of San Rafael and the head of school, Shannon Fitzpatrick objected to the removal of the statues and other steps the school has taken in an effort to make the school more inclusive. “Articulating an inclusive foundation... Read more

The men were ordained by Bishop W. Francis Malooly on August 19 at Church of the Holy Child, bringing the total number of deacons in the diocese to 110. The new deacons are:Larry Brecht, David Feaster, Darrell LaShomb, John Molitor, Christopher Moran, Joseph Roach, Jose Sanchez, and Sean Sudler. Read more about the men here.  And watch a video with highlights of the ordination above. Congratulations, brothers, and welcome! Ad multos annos!  Read more

Katrina Fernandez this week puts her finger on a subject that too many Catholics don’t understand—and that too many clergy find too unpleasant to bring up: Folks, it’s in the Ten Commandments: “Remember keep holy the Lord’s Day.” Of course if you are cripplingly ill or  your car breaks down, or your children are small and ill, and you have absolutely no family or friends who can watch your children for an hour or give you a ride to church and... Read more